Missouri Western baseball picked up the series sweep against Northeastern State Saturday afternoon at the Spring Sports Complex.

The Griffons picked up two wins on Friday against the RiverHawks and continued their winning ways, taking a 6-5 victory in Game One and winning Game Two 6-2. The RiverHawks are 2-6, 0-4 in the MIAA and Missouri Western sits at 6-3 overall with a 4-0 conference record.

Game 1: Missouri Western 6, Northeastern State 5, 11 Innings

In the first game, Missouri Western fell behind 2-0 after two innings. Mason Queen pitched well in the first seven innings, but after the Griffons tied the game at two in the bottom of the fourth, the RiverHawks took a 3-2 lead after RiverHawks second baseman Braden Brown stole home. Missouri Western came back, however.

Behind one run, the Griffons found enough hits to come back in the game to tie it a three and send it to extra innings. Again, the RiverHawks had a chance to win with a 5-3 lead in the top of the ninth.

But Missouri Western matched two runs in the bottom of the inning to send it to the 10th.

Will Carter, who finished the game 3-for-5 with two RBI, belted a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the 11th inning for the walk off. The homer gave the Griffons a 6-5 victory before game two.

Game 2: Missouri Western 6, Northeastern State 2

The Griffons jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first inning and led the rest of the way to close out the series sweep.

Trevor LaHonta went 2-for-3 and David Chew went 2-for-3 to pace the Griffons. Dylan Roades picked up the win pitching five innings and didn’t give up a run.

After taking the 3-run lead, the Griffons added two runs in the bottom of the fifth before both teams swapped scores in the sixth. Northeastern State added a run in the top of the seventh inning, but it wasn’t enough as the Griffons won 6-2.

The Griffons return to action next weekend in a four-game series against Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo.

Carter finished the day with four hits on eight at bats. He also added three RBI with the home run.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western softball team picked up another victory at the Kelly Laas Invite by defeating Wayne State (Neb.) 2-1 in the Husky Dome. The Griffons had nine hits in the game with freshman Kailey Green leading the way with two. Jackie Bishop picked up the victory going all seven with eight strikeouts. She improves to 6-1 on the season while the Griffons improve to 9-3.

Missouri Western put a lot of pressure on the Wildcats as they had runners on base in every inning except the sixth inning. In second inning the Griffons had a good threat as singles by Taylor Anding, Sydney Washington and Morgan Rathmann loaded the bases with one out. Bre Fleschner grounded out into a fielders choice and Michelle Stevenson grounded out to first bases ending the Griffons chance.

After leaving another runner on in the 3rd the Griffons finally broke through in the 4th. Washington reached on an error and later scored an unearned run on a Fleschner single to the shortstop giving the Griffons the 1-0 lead. The Wildcats responded in the 5th when Sam O’Brien blasted a leadoff homer tying the score at one.

The Griffons responded again in the 5th capitalizing on an error by Wayne State’s second baseman. Green reached on the error and then Shelby Elliott pinch ran for her. A sacrafice bunt by Brooke Schaben advanced Elliott to second and then she advanced to third on a Kat Steponovich single. She would score on a wild pitch giving the Griffons the 2-1 lead.

Bishop set the Wildcats down in order in the 6th and then stranded two in the 7th picking up the victory.

Wayne State falls to 2-1 on the season as they had five hits. Kaiti Williams led the charge with two. Kelcie Bormann got the loss going six innings giving up nine hits while striking out three. She falls to 0-1 with the loss.

The Griffons return to action Sunday closing out the invite with two games. They take on the 7th ranked Augustana College Vikings at 1 pm and end the weekend with a game against St. Cloud State at 3 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team scored 20 runs and pounded out 21 hits on their way to two victories over Northeastern State. The Griffons won game one 6-4 behind a complete game from Tyler Sanders while Ryan Degner led the Griffons to a 14-6 victory in game two going 4-for-4 with six RBI. The Griffons improve to 4-3 on the season and 2-0 in MIAA play.

Game 1
Missouri Western 6
Northeastern State 4

The Griffons got a solid outing from junior Sanders as he went the complete game giving up just one earned while strikingout five. He improves 1-1 on the season making his first caeer start. The Griffons also got a solid performance from Trevor LaHonta as he went 3-fo-4 with three runs scored and one RBI. LaHonta had a triple, homerun and single in the game.

The Griffons opened the game scoring four runs on four hits in the first. LaHonta led the game off with a triple and then scored on a double by Jeremy Monty. Monty advanced to third on a ground out by David Chew and scored on a wild pitch. Later in the inning a Cody Childs double to left field scored Andrew Ramirez and Hunter Weiss giving the Griffons the 4-0 lead. The score stayed that way until the bottom of the second when LaHonta reached on an error by the shortstop and scored on a double steal making the score 5-0 after two.

In the top of the third the Griffons defense had some troubles allowing three unearned runs on two hits. The Griffons made errors at second and third base in the inning.

Missouri Western remained calm and in the bottom of the fourth LaHonta hit his first career home run giving the Griffons a 6-3 lead. In the seventh the RiverHawks made things interesting scoring one but left two runners on as Cody Begovich ended the game on a flyout.

The Griffons had seven hits in the contest while Northeastern State had five. Tyler Wilkins led NSU with two hits while Kyle Shambaaugh got the loss going 4.1 innings giving up six hits and five earned runs. He falls to 1-1 on the season.

Game 2
Missouri Western 14
Northeastern State 6

In game two the Griffons scored 10 first inning runs on their way to a 14-6 victory. Degner went 4-for-4 in game two with six RBI which included two doubles. Freshman Tyler Tuepker picked up his first victory going four innings striking out five.

After LaHonta reached on an error by the left fielder the Griffons strung together four straight hits including a David Chew RBI single and a Degner 2 RBI double. The Griffons scored 10 runs on seven hits, capitalizing on two errors.

After scoring one in the first inning the RiverHawks scored two on three hits in the second cutting the Griffon lead to 10-3 after two.

The score stayed that way until 6th when the Griffons tacked on another run on a Degner single to center field. The RiverHawks continued to battle scoring three more in the 7th cutting the lead to 11-6 after six and a half.

The rest of the game belonged to the Griffon scoring three more in the next two innings picking up the eight run victory. The Griffons had 14 hits with five players getting at least two hits. LaHonta finished the game with two hits and three runs scored.

The RiverHawks fall to 2-4 on the season and 0-2 in MIAA play. Zach Poehl got the loss going just 2/3 of an inning giving up 10 earned runs on seven hits. NSU had 11 hits with four players getting two hits. Cody Robinson went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

The two teams will wrap up their series with a doubleheader tomorrow. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm at the Griffon Baseball Field on the campus of Missouri Western State University.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western softball team opened play in the Kelly Laas Invitational with a 3-0 victory over Concordia-St. Paul in the Husky Dome. It was the third shutout of the season for Jackie Bishop as she improves to 5-1 overall while the Griffons improve to 8-3 overall.

In a pitchers dual neither team could get anything going offensively. The Golden Bears got a lead off hit by Tessa Ewert in the third inning but a pop up to first base and two strikeouts ended any threat the Golden Bears may have had.

In the first four innings the Griffons would strand a Bre Fleschner lead off walk and then in the fourth Fleschner led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. She would be stranded at second after Michelle Stevenson bunted her over to second.

The Griffons finally got something going in the fifth when Brooke Schaben led off with a single through the left side. The hit was the Griffons first of the game. Taylor Anding followed that up with a walk and then pinch runner Shelby Elliott and Anding advanced to second and third on a while pitch. Two batters later Morgan Rathmann singled in Elliott giving the Griffons the 1-0 lead. Fleschner reached on an error by CSP shortstop which scored two Griffon runs giving the them the 3-0 lead after five innings of play.

In the sixth and seventh the Golden Bears led off the inning with singles with both being stranded on base. Michelle Stevenson made a great diving play at second ending the game and dropping the Golden Bears to 0-1.

Bishop went all seven innings giving up just three hits while striking out eight. For Concordia-St. Paul Stephanie Kappes went 6.0 innings giving up two hits and one earned run while striking out four. Jamie Fleischacker, Ewert and Cassie Bertelsen each had hits in the game.

The Griffons will return to play Saturday at noon when they take on the Wayne State College Wildcats.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western tennis team battled falling in their first match of the 2014 season by a score of 9-0 against Maryville University. The Saints improve to 4-0 on the season while the Griffons fall to 0-1. This also marked the first match for first year head coach Tom Smith.

The Griffons played well in doubles but were unable to come away with any points. Denise Chiao and Lindsay Beger fell at No. 2 doubles 9-7 against Renske Linders and Anne Lutz. At No. 3 doubles Alyssa Dougan and Kayla Dysart fell 8-6 against Marina Marti and Nicole Kitsuse of Maryville. No. 1 doubles of Meara Smtih and Ceara Boldridge fell 8-3 against Adriana Armendariz and Philine Schlorf.

In singles the best competition came at No. 4 where Boldridge fell 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) against Lutz. Smith played well at No. 2 singles falling 6-4, 6-2 against Marti while Chiao fell 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3 singles against Armendariz.

The Griffons return to action on Tuesday, February 25 with a match against the Rockhurst Hawks. Match time is set for 1:00 pm in Kansas City, Mo.

Singles competition

1. Schlorf, Philine (MU) def. Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Marti, Marina (MU) def. Smith,Meara (MWSU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Armendariz, Adriana (MU) def. Chiao,Denise (MWSU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Lutz, Anne (MU) def. Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
5. Linders, Renske (MU) def. Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Kitsuse, Nicole (MU) def. Dougan,Alyssa (MWSU) 6-1, 6-4

Doubles competition

1. Armendariz, Adriana/Schlorf, Philine (MU) def. Smith,Meara/Boldridge,Ceara (MWSU) 8-3
2. Linders, Renske/Lutz, Anne (MU) def. Chiao,Denise/Beger,Lindsay (MWSU) 9-7
3. Marti, Marina/Kitsuse, Nicole (MU) def. Dougan,Alyssa/Dysart,Kayla (MWSU) 8-6

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western men’s basketball team picked up a much needed victory on Wednesday evening defeating the Lincoln Blue Tigers 82-65. The victory marked the first road victory for the Griffons this season as they were led by Kalvin Balque’s first career double double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. The Griffons improve to 10-14 on the season and 5-11 in MIAA play.

Things started good for the Griffons as back-to-back 3’s by Hans Thun gave the Griffons a 6-2 lead in the first minute of the game. The Blue Tigers bounced back claiming a 15-12 lead with 10:12 to play after a tip-in by James Edmond with 10:12 to play in the first frame.

The Griffons continued to play hard and with 5:19 to play two free throws by Cortrez Colbert gave the Griffons their largest lead of the half at 25-17 with 5:19 to play. Lincoln did not let things get away hitting a layup with 28 second to play in the half cutting the Griffon lead to 31-26 at the half.

The Griffons shot just 37.9-percent (11-29) from the field with Thun leading the charge with 9 points connecting on all three of his long range shots. The Blue Tigers did not shoot much better making 39.1-percent (9-23) of their shots and 8-of-10 free throws. James Edmond led the way with eight points and seven rebounds.

The Griffons came out of the locker room on fire scoring seven of the first nine points claiming a 38-28 lead after two Charlie Marquardt free throws with 17:19 to play in the game. The Blue Tigers cut the Griffon lead to five in the next four minutes but a 19-5 run by the Griffons opened up a 19 point lead for the Griffons at 57-38 after two Balque free throws with 9:46 to play.

A mini run by the Tigers cut the lead to 59-48 but once again the Griffons used a big run taking their biggest lead of the game at 76-55 after a layup by Colbert with 3:24 to play. The Griffons cruised the rest of the game snapping a four game losing streak.

Missouri Western finished the game making 47.4-percent (27-57) of their field goals which included 57.1-percent (16-28) in the second half. Colbert scored 19 points for the Griffons while Devers had 17. Both Colbert and Devers dished out five assists.

The Blue Tigers fall to 3-22 overall and 1-16 in MIAA play. Edmond finished with a double double with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Mike Smith dumped in 17. Joshua Buie had 10 points. The Blue Tigers made just 1-of-15 long range shots but made 22-of-26 free throws.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, February 22 with a home contest against rival Northwest Missouri State on Military Appreciation Day. Tip time is set for 3:30 pm in the MIAA Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western women’s basketball team continued to struggle on the road losing a heart-breaker 56-55 against the Lincoln Blue Tigers. Two free throws by Lincoln’s Jennifer Rosado dropped the Griffons to 0-9 in MIAA road game this season. The Griffons fall to 9-14 overall and 4-12 in MIAA play.

In a slow first half the Griffons were able to claim a 21-20 halftime lead against the Blue Tigers. The Griffons started slow scoring just five points in the first 11:06 of the game trailing 9-5 at the under 10 media timeout. The finally got things going after the timeout outscoring the Blue Tigers 13-5 claiming an 18-14 lead at the next media timeout. The Blue Tigers outscored the Griffons the final 4:18 6-3 but the Griffons were able to hold on to the one point lead.

At the half the Griffons made just 24.1-percent (7-29) field goal attempts while the Blue Tigers attempted just 12 shots making four. Lincoln stayed in the game from the free throw line making 11-of-13 while the Griffons made 6-of-8. Both teams struggled to hold on to the ball as Lincoln turned the ball over 17 times to the Griffons 10.

Six different Griffons scored in the half with Quenisha Lockett and Tiffanie Abrams both scoring five points. Lanicia Lawrence played well on the defensive end getting four steals. The Blue Tigers were led by Jennifer Rosado with six points and three rebounds.

The second half continued to be a back and forth battle as the Griffons led by as many as five three different times including 51-46 with 3:03 to play after a Kyrsten Crawford layup. The next few minutes belonged to the Blue Tigers as they took their first lead of the second half at 54-53 when Quienssence Prince capitalized on an old fashioned three point play with 21 second to play.

The Griffons took a 30 second timeout and with three seconds left Abrams hit a layup. Unfortunately Abrams would foul Jennifer Rosado with one second remaining and Rosado hit both free throws giving them just their second MIAA victory. The Blue Tigers improve to 5-19 overall and 2-15 in MIAA play.

The Griffons were led by Abrams with 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting while hitting two long range shots. Lockett also finished in double figures with 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Blue Tigers were led by Rosado with 14 points. She scored 12 of her 14 points on the free throw line. Price dumped in 12 points while Kate Frazier and Angela Randall each had eight.

The Griffons return to action on Saturday, February 22 with a home contest against rival Northwest Missouri State on Military Appreciation Day. Game time is set for 1:30 pm in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Sports Information —

Missouri Western senior pitcher Jackie Bishop has been named the MIAA/AstroTurf Pitcher of the Week for her 3-0 performance at the UAM 8-State Classic. This marks the 8th time in her career that she has earned this honor. Three times as a freshman and four times as a sophomore.

Bishop had an outstanding weekend in the 8-State Classic going a perfect 3-0 giving up zero earned runs. Bishop also pitched her second career no-hitter in a 8-0 victory over Ouachita Baptist on Saturday, February 15. She allowed just two runners on two walks. Her only other no-hitter was in her freshman campaign when she won a 2-0 decision against Southwest Baptist on April 4, 2011.

Bishop also threw a one hit shutout in her first victory of the classic over Upper Iowa. Bishop won her final game of the classic against Minnesota State by a score of 9-4. She has not giving up an earned run in 25 innings of play as she sits at 4-1 on the season. On the weekend she struck out 29 batters which included 11 against Minnesota State and nine against both Upper Iowa and Ouachita Baptist. The 5-8 senior pitcher is a native of Kirksville, Mo. where she competed at Kirksville High School.

The Griffons will return to action this weekend participating in the St. Cloud State Dome Tournament. They will play four games all against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference teams. On Friday, February 21 they take on Concordia-St. Paul at 1 pm on Saturday, February 22 they take on Wayne State (Neb.) at 10 am and on Sunday, February 23 the Griffons will play Augustana (SD) at 1 pm and St. Cloud State at 3 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western baseball team split two very competitive games on Sunday afternoon in Emporia. The Griffons scored the final four runs in a 4-2 victory over the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs before giving up the final three runs in a 10-9 extra inning loss against the Emporia State Hornets. The Griffons fall to 2-3 with the loss.

Game 1
MWSU 4, Southwest Minnesota State 2

The Missouri Western baseball team was able to win a pitchers dual against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs. David Chew hit a two RBI single in the bottom of the 8th inning giving the Griffons the 4-2 victory. Mason Queen pitched an outstanding game in relief going 5.1 innings giving up just two hits while striking out six. He improves to 1-0 with the victory.

The Mustangs jumped out a 2-0 lead in the 4rd inning capitalizing on two hits and two Griffon errors.

The score stayed 2-0 until the fourth inning when Chew walked and Will Carter hit his first homer of his career tying the score at two after four inning of play.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the 8th when Trevor LaHonta walked and stole second. Cody Childs reached on an error by the first baseman. LaHonta and Childs advanced a base on a wild pitch and then Chew got the game winning single giving the Griffons the 4-2 lead.

Tyler Sanders came in to get the save for the Griffons. He pitched one inning getting strike out and two ground outs to end the game. It is Sanders first save of his career.

Matt Russell started the game for the Griffons going 2.2 innings giving up two hits and one earned run while striking out three. Russell did struggle finding the plate walking four.

James Callahan went seven innings for the Mustangs giving up two hits and two earned runs while striking out four. Brandyn Olsen got the loss going just 1/3 of an inning. Southwest Minnesota State had four hits with Jordan Kontz going 2-for-3. They fall to 1-3 with the loss.

Game 2
Emporia State 10, MWSU 9 (10 innings)

The Griffons came oh so close to complete their second comeback of the day but three late runs by Emporia State downed the Griffons 10-9 in 10 innings. The Griffons finished with 10 hits and three home runs in the game. Jerad Hawkins picks of the loss pitching 1.1 innings giving up two hits and one earned run. He falls to 1-1 with the loss.

In a crazy back and forth game the Hornets jumped out to the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Justin Harris reached on an error by the Griffon second baseman and later scored on a single by Dean Long. The Griffons responded in the second as Ryan Degner reached on an error and scored on a ground out by Zach Kroymann. The score was tied at one after an inning and a half.

In the bottom of the second inning mistakes and walks hurt the Griffons as Emporia State scored two runs on a Todd Schultz single and another on a ground out by Justin Harris making it 4-1 Hornets after two. ESU put another run on the board in the third when Toby Cornejo double scoring Mason Fischer giving the Hornets the 5-1 lead after three.

In the fifth the Hornets went up by another run when Wade Hanna doubled in Fischer giving the Hornets the 6-1 lead. ESU kept up the scoring in the 7th as Hanna hit a SAC fly puting the Hornets up 7-1.

In the top of the 8th the Griffon offense finally got going as Dylan Koch led off with a single which was followed by a Trevor LaHonta double. With one out Chew singled in Koch cutting the score to 7-2 in favor of the Hornets. The next two batter used the long ball cutting the score to 7-6. Degner blasted a three run homer while Jake Schrader blasted a solo.

Matt Estes reached on an error by the catcher which scored Zach Kroymann tying the game at seven. Two batters later Koch reached on an ESU error which scored Estes giving the Griffons the 8-7 lead. The score stayed that way until the top of the 9th when Schrader hit another homer giving the Griffons the 9-7 lead heading to the bottom of the 9th. Schrader has four hits on the season with all of them being homers.

In the 9th the Hornets tied the score after David Richards blasted a two run homer off Sanders. In the tenth the Griffons stranded two runners before the Hornets rallied with two outs in the 10th getting the victory. Hawkins walked long and then back-to-back singles by Richards and Price Jacobs helped ESU move to 3-0 on the season.

Eight Griffons had hits in the game with LaHonta and Schrader each getting two. Degner and Schrader each scored two runs. CJ Koehler started the game going three innings giving up five hits and five earned runs while striking out two. Tyler Tuepker and Grant Woods both pitched two innings giving up two hits apiece and one earned run. Sanders pitched 1.1 innings giving up two hits and two earned runs while Kyle Kelly and Josh Lansangan walked the only batter they faced.

ESU had 13 hits in the game with Levi Parker going 3-for-5 while Long and Richards each had two hits. Jarrod Miller started the game going 6.0 innings giving up one earned run and two hits while striking out four. Garrett Bane got the victory going 1/3 of an inning.

The Griffons will open up MIAA play next weekend with a four game series against the Northeastern State RiverHawks. The two teams are scheduled to play in St. Joseph, Mo. with the first game on Friday, February 21 at 2:00 pm at the Griffon Baseball Field.

— MWSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Western softball team had its offense come alive on the final day of the 8-State Classic scoring 19 runs and getting 24 hits in two victories. The Griffons defeated Minnesota State-Mankato 9-4 and Illinois-Springfield 10-5 improving to 7-3 on the season and going 5-1 in the classic.

Game 1
MWSU 9, Minnesota State 4

In the first game of the day the Griffons got 11 hits in the contest which led to a 9-4 victory over the Mavericks. Tiffany Gillaspy and Michelle Stevenson both hit homers in the victory.

Things looked good early for the Griffons scoring the first four runs of the game. The Griffons got on the board in the second when Brooke Schaben led off with a single and later scored on a Kat Steponovich single to right field giving the Griffons the 1-0 lead. The Griffons tacked on another in the 3rd when Gillaspy homered to left center giving Missouri Western the 2-0 lead.

Once again in the 4th the Griffons put runs on the board. With one out Morgan Rathmann got hit by a pitch then stole second and scored on a two run homer by Stevenson giving the Griffons the 4-0 lead after four.

The score stayed that way until the 6th when the Mavericks finally got to Jackie Bishop. The Mavericks got a two RBI double by Anna Cole and an RBI single by Kelly Wood cutting the Griffons lead to 4-3.

The Griffons stayed calm and in the sixth they exploded for five runs in four hits. Singles by Fleschner and Stevenson scored the first two runs of the inning. A passed ball scored Fleschner before Kailey Green got two RBI on a single giving the Griffons the 9-3 lead after six.

The Mavericks got one more run in the sixth but would not get any closer as Bishop improves to 4-1 on the season. Bishop went all seven innings giving up seven hits while striking out 11. She did not give up a run as they were all unearned. The single she gave up in the fifth was the first hit by her opponents 12 innings and the runs in the 6th were the first runs scored on her in 23 innings. She has not given up an earned run in 25 innings.

Four Griffons got two hits in the game as Stevenson knocked in three and scored two runs. Rathmann went 2-for-2 with two runs scored while Fleshner and Schaben were the other Griffons with two hits.

Coley Ries got the loss for MSU going 5.1 innings giving up 10 hits and eight earned runs with four strikeouts. MSU had seven hits with Samantha Holien and Kelly Wood each getting two. The Mavericks fall to 2-6 with the loss.

Game 2
MWSU 10, Illinois-Springfield 5

In game two the Griffons offense stayed hot getting 13 more hits. Green led the charge with three hits and four RBI. Stevenson and Gillaspy each had two hits while pitcher Janie Smith helped herself out with two hits and two RBI.

The Griffons jumped all over the PrairieStars scoring five runs on six hits in the first inning. After a walk leading off the game by Fleschner the Griffons got four straight singles scoring their first three runs. Smith and Rathmann got the Griffons final two hits which both scored runs for the Griffons. After a half inning the Griffons led 5-0.

Illinois-Springfield did not get rattled as they took advantage of a walk and a Griffon error scoring four runs on two hits. Chelsea Minor’s single to right center scored two of the four runs.

In the 2nd the Griffons extended their lead by one when Gillaspy hit her second homer of the day giving MWSU the 6-4 lead after two. The Griffons scored another run in the 4th on two hits. Green singled in Stevenson giving Missouri Western the 7-4 lead after four innings.

In the 5th the bats continued to stay hot as Smith hit her first career homer to center field and then Rathmann scored on a double by Fleschner opening up a 9-4 lead after four and a half innings of play. Once again USI responded when Minor scored on a single by Molly Manietta which cut the lead to 9-5 after five.

The Griffons tacked on more on in the 7th and Smith shut UIS down in the 7th giving MWSU the five run victory.

Smith improves to 3-2 on the season going all seven inning giving up eight hits while striking out two.

UIS falls to 3-2 on the season while Alex Smith falls to 1-2 going all seven inning giving up 13 hits and nine earned runs with four strike outs. Minor led the way with two hits, two runs scored and two RBI for UIS.

The Griffons return to action next weekend when they take part in the St. Cloud State Dome Tournament. The Griffons open up the weekend on Friday, February 21 with a game against Concordia-St. Paul at 1:00 pm.

— MWSU Sports Information —