WARRENSBURG, Mo. - Central Missouri Jennies Softball struggled at the plate against the top pitcher in the MIAA. The Jens dropped both ends of a doubleheader against the RiverHawks, 11-3, 3-2. The losses puts the Jennies at an even 21-21 this season and 10-10 in the MIAA.
Game One - Northeastern State 11, Central Missouri 3Jennies starter
Allison Tonyan couldn't make it out of the first inning as the RiverHawks touched her up for five runs in the opening frame. The big hit was a two-out bases clearing double from Ryan Martin.
NSU added two more in the third inning on back-to-back RBI singles from Kelsey Harmon and Jessica Boone.
Central Missouri finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning scoring three, but by that point it was too little too late and the Jennies didn't score again the rest of the game.
After neither team scored in innings four through six, the RiverHawks put the game away scoring four more runs in the seventh inning, to reach the 11-3 final. Paige Gann hit a home run to lead off the inning and the RiverHawks scored three unearned runs after a two-out Jennies error extended the inning.
Ali Jo Rogers had the only extra-base hit for the Jennies, a solo home run in the third.
Katie Giacone drove in two runs with a single.
Tonyan lasted 0.2 innings, giving up five runs on three hits with three walks.
Jordan Johnson finished the game, throwing 6.1 innings surrendering six runs (three earned) on nine hits with two walks and two strikeouts.
MIAA wins and ERA leader Kayce Wooldridge threw all seven innings for the RiverHawks. She gave up three earned runs on four hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Northeastern totaled 12 hits in the game. Five starters collected two hits apiece. Gann finished 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Martin was 1-for-4 with a game-high three RBI.
Game Two - Northeastern 3, Central Missouri 2Game two was the opposite of game one, as each team had only one hit through four innings. Central Missouri got a run in the first without the benefit of a hit. Rogers walked and stole second and took third on a wild throw by the catcher. She came around to score on
Emily King's RBI groundout.
The Jens added a second run in the fifth as
Alexis Koop lifted a two-out double to left and Rogers drove her in with a single to right center.
UCM starter
Emily Robinson was cruising through five innings, but the RiverHawks put up three runs in the third to claim the lead. HaleTaty Acrey launched a two-run home run to center to tie the game and Martin's two-out single up the middle pushed the eventual winning run across.
The RiverHawks called upon Wooldridge to shut the door after taking the lead, and she pitched two shutout innings to notch the save. The Jennies threatened in the seventh, with another two-out double from Koop and an infield single to third from Rogers, but Wooldridge was able to induce a ground ball to preserve the win.
Robinson threw 6.1 innings allowing five hits and three runs with four strikeouts and two walks. Tonyan threw 0.2 innings of clean relief.
Koop and Rogers each had two of the Jennies' six hits and scored a run. Rogers also stole her 34th base of the season.
Tayrn Gray started and got the win for the RiverHawks. She threw five innings giving up two runs, one earned on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. NSU scattered five hits in the game. Acrey drove home two and scored a run, going 1-for-3.
Central Missouri wraps up their homestand tomorrow, April 9 against Central Oklahoma. The Jennies will honor their six seniors with a special ceremony between games. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.
