KEARNEY, Neb. – After a sleepy offensive performance in game one, the bats came awake in game two as the No. 14 Missouri Western softball team earned a split at Nebraska-Kearney Saturday. The split left the team 2-2 after a weekend road swing.

GAME 1: Nebraska-Kearney 3, #14 MWSU 1

Missouri Western jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first game of the day but couldn’t manage any more offense or keep the Lopers off the board.

Nebraska-Kearney tied the game at one in the bottom of the first and added two more in the fifth to take the game 3-1. Paige Shifflett was the only Griffon with more than one hit, going 2-3 with one driven in. The Griffons left five on base. Janie Smith was tagged with the loss. The junior gave up three earned runs on six hits in six innings. She struck out three and walked two.

GAME 2: #14 MWSU 10, Nebraska-Kearney 1 (6 innings)

The Griffons did all their scoring in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to get out of Kearney with a doubleheader split.

Trailing 1-0 after three, Sydney Washington led off the fourth by reaching on an error. Paige Shifflett put two on when she singled and Kailey Green reaching on a fielder’s choice brought Washington in to even the game at one. After Katie Klosterman lined out to the short stop, Shelbie Atwell put MWSU up 3-1 with a two-run home run to left center. Morgan Rathmann led off the top of the fifth with a triple, then scored on the play after a throwing error gave her time to get home. The team added three more in the inning on an RBI single by Shifflett, an RBI double by Kailey Green and an RBI single by Klosterman. MWSU tacked on three more in the sixth, beginning with Tiffany Gillaspy driving in two when she hit into a fielder’s choice. Shifflett added another RBI with a double to left center two batters later.

Shyanne Saladino picked up the win, going all six innings. She allowed just one run on five hits. All but one Griffon had at least one hit in the game. Shifflett went 3-4 with two RBIs. Green drove in two as did Atwell. Rathmann went 2-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.

The team sits at 28-12 after the weekend and 12-4 in the MIAA. They take a brief break from travel with a doubleheader at home against Central Missouri on Tuesday.

— MWSU Sports Information —