The Northwest Missouri State came up on the losing end of a low-scoring affair with Southwest Baptist to open day two of the 2016 MIAA Softball Championship Tournament at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla.
– A pair of home runs off the bat of Caitlyn Cooner was all the offense SBU needed to take a 3-1 victory and advance in the tournament.
– Northwest moves to 37-14 this season and has been eliminated from the conference tournament with the loss. SBU improved its record to 24-34 overall.
– The game was interrupted by a 29 minute lightning delay in the top of the fourth inning.
Key Statistics
– Kendle Schieber (21-6) took the loss after scattering six hits in a complete game effort, striking out five SBU batters.
– Junior Torri Blythe singled twice and scored the lone Northwest run, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk.
– Kiana Baderdeen reached base twice, drawing a walk before singling in the top of the seventh.
– First baseman Alexis Kelsey singled in a run in the third inning, finishing 1-for-4.
– Sophomore Rebecca Maher singled in her second at bat before laying down a sacrifice bunt later in the contest.
Key Innings
– Northwest jumped in front in the top of the third with a string of two-out singles. Blythe sent a sharp grounder back up the middle before Maher lined one sharply into the hole at short. With two out and two on, Kelsey dropped in a bloop single just over the second baseman’s glove and into right field, allowing the speedy Blythe to score from second.
– Schieber retired eight straight SBU batters between the first and fourth innings, but a one out single followed by a home run in the bottom of the fourth gave Southwest Baptist the lead for good.
– A leadoff single from Baderdeen, a walk to Blythe and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Maher loaded the bases for Northwest in the top of the seventh, but the rally came up short after a pair of flyouts ended the contest.
Up Next
– The Northwest squad will await the release of the 2016 NCAA Division II Softball Championship Bracket, set to be announced Monday morning, May 2 at 9 a.m. Northwest was ranked fourth in the final Central Region poll.
— Northwest Athletics —