Stellar Pitching Leads Jennies to Sweep of Southwest Baptist

BOLIVAR, Mo. - Central Missouri used a pair of dominant pitching performances on their way to a sweep of Southwest Baptist Friday afternoon. Allison Tonyan and Emily Robinson combined to give up just one run and five hits in 14 innings of work. The wins give the Jennies six straight wins and moves UCM to 20-14 on the season.

Game One: Central Missouri 3, Southwest Baptist 1

The Jens got on the board early in game one as Ali Jo Rogers scored on a double steal attempt. The Bearcats quickly responded with an RBI groundout in the bottom of the frame, but Tonyan limited SBU to just one hit in the final six innings.

Central Missouri took the lead for good in the third on Lauren Mabe's two-out RBI single, scoring Makayla Schoonover. They added an insurance run in the seventh on Rogers sacrifice fly to score Brittany Kendall.

Tonyan went the distance and tied a career-high with six strikeouts, including the final two batters of the game, moving to 6-4. She walked five and allowed two hits. SBU posed their biggest threat in the third when they put a runner on second with nobody out. Tonyan got the next three though to end the rally.

UCM punched eight hits, two coming from Robinson. Schoonover finished 1-for-2 with a run scored and a stolen base.

Kacey Ayers matched Tonyan in the circle throwing all seven innings for the Bearcats. She allowed three runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Dana Graves was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.

Game Two: Central Missouri 5, Southwest Baptist 0

Game two was shaping up to be another pitcher's dual. The Jennies again scored in the first as Rogers scampered across the plate following a wild pitch.

The Bearcats didn't record their first hit off of Robinson until the third inning. With the score still 1-0, SBU got their first two base-runners on in the third. Robinson retired the next three though, ending the rally.

The Jennies added to their lead in the fourth, getting a clutch two-out, two-RBI single from Emily King to give Robinson some breathing room.

Robinson kept throwing zeros and the Jens pushed across two more runs in the sixth. Alex Leonhart drove home Lauren Mabe with a double in the right-centerfield gap, and Robinson helped herself with a single to left to score Leonhart.

That was all Robinson needed as she completed the shutout, giving up three hits while striking out five and walking five. She also went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, and finished with five hits in the double header.

The Jens knocked 13 hits in the game, getting another three from Leonhart. She was on base four times with a single, two doubles and a walk. Schoonover and Madison Hood each finished with two hits apiece. UCM stole three bases in the game, two from Rogers and one from Schoonover.

Hunter Middleton threw a complete game for the Bearcats. She allowed five runs on 13 hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Rachel Ray finished 2-for-3.

Central Missouri stays on the road next weekend as they travel to Topeka, Kan. for a doubleheader with Washburn Friday, April 1. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.