MWSU softball hits five home runs in sweep of Nebraska-Kearney

ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western softball team (30-10, 14-3) continued an impressive run of power hitting, slugging five home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Nebraska-Kearney (14-23, 5-14) on Sunday.

GAME 1: #22 MWSU 6, Nebraska-Kearney 5

The Griffons scored all six runs on home runs as four different players hit one each in the game one win.

Sydney Washington hit Missouri Western’s first home run of the day in the second, giving the Griffons a 2-0 lead. Nebraska-Kearney jumped ahead in the top of the third with three runs before Paige Shifflett and Katie Klosterman homered in the bottom half of the inning to put Missouri Western back up 6-3. Janie Smith surrendered one Loper run in the sixth and another in the seventh, but held on to pick up the win and move to 16-7 on the season.

Smith gave up five runs, all earned on 10 hits while striking out six and walking two. Morgan Rathmann went 2-4 at the plate. Shifflett was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Green was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Klosterman and Washington had two RBIs and one hit apiece.

GAME 2: #22 MWSU 6, Nebraska-Kearney 3

Missouri Western broke a one-all tie with five runs in the fifth, including Taylor Hamilton’s fourth home run of the weekend and sixth in the last five games.

Hamilton’s two-run blast to center in the fifth put Missouri Western up 3-1. Then Megan Korgie drew a bases loaded walk and Rebekah Mueller drove in two with a double to left center to put the Griffons up 6-1. Nebraska-Kearney got two in the sixth, but Shyanne Saladino retired the Lopers in order in the seventh to move to 14-3 on the season.

Hamilton was 3-4 with three RBIs and one run scored in game two. No other Griffon had more than one hit in the game.

A long homestand continues for the team next week with doubleheaders against Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State next weekend. The Gorillas will enter leading the MIAA. Then Missouri Western will see rival Northwest Missouri State on Apr. 12 for a non-conference doubleheader and the last regular season home games of 2016.

— MWSU Athletics —