WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 25, 2017) - Central Missouri softball continued their hot play of late as they swept Fort Hays State 5-1, 2-0 to move to 15-16 on the season and 5-1 in the MIAA. They've won five straight for the first time all season and are 9-2 in their last 11 games.
The Jens relied on their pitchers
Alexa Bradley and
Katie Giacone who combined allowed just one run on eight hits.
Game One: Central Missouri 5, Fort Hays State 1
The Jennies struck early, putting up three runs in the second inning. After
Lauren Mabe singled and took second on an error in the outfield, she came around to score the game's first run on an RBI single from
Allie Dishinger. With two outs in the inning,
Aubrey Daniel supplied the big hit, getting a ball past the right side of the infield to score two more UCM runs.
Bradley was cruising along, taking a no-hit bid into the fourth inning. That was broken up by Veronica Knittig who smacked a two-run home run to left to end the no-hitter and shutout after 3.2 innings.
Bradley rebounded though and kept the Tigers off the scoreboard the rest of the afternoon. She earned her sixth win of the season allowing just the one run on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts in a complete seven innings. She needed just 73 pitches to carve her way through the Tiger lineup.
Not that she needed more help, but the Jennies extended their lead to four in the fourth inning when
Courtni Smith hit one back up the middle to plate two more runs.
In Smith and Daniel, the bottom of the order produced for UCM. They combined for three hits and four RBI. Smith finished the day 2-for-3.
Alex Leonhart also picked up two hits and scored twice.
Carlie Rose crossed the plate twice as well and Dishinger finished 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Carrie Clarke took the loss for Fort Hays State. She pitched all six innings giving up five runs (four earned) on eight hits with three walks and no strikeouts.
Game Two: Central Missouri 2, Fort Hays State 0
Central Missouri scored two runs in the first and
Katie Giacone handled it from there. After watching her teammate Bradley allow one run, Giacone topped her tossing a complete game shutout. She pitched all seven innings giving up just five hits with four strikeouts and a walk. The win pushes Giacone above .500 at 6-5 for the season.
The Jens two runs came via speed at the top of the lineup, and taking advantage of three Tiger errors.
Lauryn Deer got the inning started with a walk and stole second.
Makayla Schoonover beat out a bunt for a single and moved to second while Deer scored on Fort Hays State's first error of the inning. Schoonover applied some pressure on the Tigers defense, looking to take an extra bag on Mabe's ground ball. She reached third and scored on the play after the first baseman's throw sailed wide of it's mark.
That was all Giacone needed. The Tigers threatened in the fourth getting the tying runs on base, but Giacone squashed that with a strikeout to end the inning. Later, with a runner on first in the seventh, Jeni Mohr lined a shot into left for Fort Hays State, but Schoonover had a beat on it and reached up, crashed into the fence and held on to make the catch and end the game, preserving Giacone's shutout.
Schoonover and Deer each finished with two hits, the only hits of the game for UCM, and a run scored. Deer reached base three times with a walk and stole two bases while Schoonover swiped one.
Haley Chapman took the hard-luck loss for FHSU. She went six innings giving up two runs (one earned) on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Knitting finished the game 1-for-2 with a single and a sacrifice.
Central Missouri is back in action tomorrow, Sunday, March 26 to take on Nebraska-Kearney. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
