Jennies Softball Drops a Pair at St. Cloud Invitational

Season Stats

ST. CLOUD, Minn. - The Jennies softball team concluded their trip to St. Cloud Minn. and the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament with a pair of games against Augustana (S.D.) and Wayne St. (Neb.). The Jens were upended in both games though as their record drops to 4-5 on the season. 

Game One: Augustana (S.D.) 5, UCM 3 - 8 inn.

Both starters Jakki Prater and Jenelle Trautmann were crusing early as the game remained scoreless through three innings. The Vikings got on the board first in the bottom of the fourth after a one-out triple and an RBI groundout. 

The Jens stormed right back though, and scored three in the top half of the fifth to take their first lead. Allie Dishinger led off the inning with a double and pinch runner Austin Eickleberry scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. Alex Leonhart, who last night had the walk-off RBI in the win against Concordia-St. Paul, drove in two more with a two-out RBI single, giving the Jens a 3-1 lead. 

The score stayed that way until the seventh when Trautmann drew a leadoff walk for the Vikings and Jordan Schaffer drove one over the fence for a two-run game-tying homer. Prater retired the next three to end the inning and send the game into extras.

In the eighth, the Jennies failed to score and Augustana took advantage, ending the game, 5-3, with a two-run home run from Caitlin Nichol. 

Prater suffered the loss throwing 7.1 innings allowing five runs, four earned on 12 hits while striking out five and walking one. The Jennies sprayed six hits from six spots in the lineup. Dishinger's double was the lone base-hit and Leonhart drove in the only two runs. 

Game Two: Wayne St. (Neb.) 6, UCM 4

The two teams traded runs in the opening innings as they went to the third tied at three apiece. The Jennies took their first lead, 4-3, on Disheringer's second home run of the season. The Wildcats scored the final three runs though, two in the fifth and one in the seventh to take the game, 6-4. 

Katie Shockley suffered the loss. She went the distancea allowing six runs on 10 hits while striking out five. Ali Jo Rogers picked up two hits in the game while also driving in a run, scoring a pair and swiping a bag.

The Jennies are off next week and will begin the MIAA portion of their schedule March 3 as they travel to Maryville, Mo. for a pair with Northwest Missouri State.