The Northwest Missouri State softball team put up 19 runs in the double-header against Central Missouri Saturday but ended up splitting the series losing game one 9-6 in 10 innings and winning game two 13-4 in five innings.
Game one was a back a fourth slugfest. Northwest scored two in the first inning when Maddie Jones hit a bases loaded double to center field. UCM then answered with one run in the second and two runs in the third inning to go up 3-2.
The Jennies added two more runs with a home run in the top of the fifth inning before Northwest put up two runs of their own in the bottom half to trail 5-4. Stephanie Price hit a deep home run to left center with Hailee Hendricks on first to bring them within one. It was Price’s fourth home run of the season.
Jordan Ereth hit a sacrifice fly that scored Kailee Sherer from third base to tie the game up at 5-5.
Northwest and UCM went scoreless until the top of the 10th inning when the international tie breaker was implemented. In the international tie breaker the last recorded out begins the inning at second base.
Central Missouri put up four runs in the top half of the 10th. The Bearcats could only answer with one run to fall 9-6.
Jenna Creger went all 10 innings collecting 10 strikeouts giving up 13 hits and 8 earned runs to move her record to 6-2 on the season.
Northwest was able to get the bats going early in the second game putting up 11 runs in the first two innings.
Maddie Jones knocked in Candace Miller and Ereth with a single to left field. Sherer walked with the bases loaded to plate Hendricks to put the Bearcats up 3-0 after the first inning.
Northwest hitters walked six times leading to three runs in the second inning. Ereth doubled down the left field line to score Sherer and Cantrell followed by Miller who knocked in Rachel Schmitz and Ereth. Jones scored on a passed ball to total eight runs in the inning.
The Jennies were able to plate three runs in the fourth inning and one run in the fifth to bring the game to 11-4.
Miller led off the inning with her third hit of the game and was on first when Price sent her team leading, fifth home run of the season flying over the right field fence to go up 13-4.
The walk-off home run instituted the run rule giving Abbie Vitosh the complete game victory. Vitosh earned her fifth victory of the season giving up six hits, four earned runs and one strike out.
Head Coach Ryan Anderson’s team improves to 13-5 on the season and 3-1 in conference play. The Bearcats will take on rival Missouri Western Tuesday for a double-header at Bearcat Field with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.
— NWMSU Sports Information —