BENTONVILLE, Ark. (Feb. 9, 2018) – Central Missouri Jennies Softball came all the way back from down five to tie Arkansas Tech, only to lose a heartbreaker in the seventh. The Jennies couldn't pick the momentum back up in game number two, dropping a close one to Harding, 5-2. The two losses put UCM under .500 at 4-6 this season.
Game One: Arkansas Tech 12, Central Missouri 8
Play-by-Play
• The Jennies jumped out to an early lead by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning.
•
Kaitlyn Markin got the scoring started with a single to right center that scored
Makayla Schoonover. Two batters later,
Courtni Smith poked the ball through the right side, which allowed Schoonover and
Allie Dishinger to score.
• Arkansas Tech answered with two runs of their own in the top of the second inning.
• Both teams were quiet until the top of the fourth. Central Missouri's
Alexa Bradley gave up a leadoff single followed by two walks.
Shelby Clark came in to replace Clark and hit the first batter she faced and then gave up back-to-back doubles to increase the Golden Suns lead to 7-3.
• A two-out triple in the top of the fifth added another run on the scoreboard for Arkansas Tech.
• The Jennies were down 8-3 as they entered the bottom of the fifth inning, but
Aubrey Daniel reached base on a throwing error to get the inning going for UCM. Back-to-back hits by Markin and
Emily King resulted in an RBI for both players and cut their deficit to 8-5.
• Arkansas Tech went down in order in the sixth.
Lauryn Deer led off the inning with a single for Central Missouri. Schoonover then worked a walk. With two on and two out, Markin sent a shot over the centerfield fence to tie the game 8-8.
• The Golden Suns started the seventh inning with a bang as Megan Goodnight hit a solo homer to break the tie score. With two outs, they added three more quick runs on a homerun by Sarah Coronado.
• The Jennies went down 1-2-3 to end the game.
Jennies Stats Leaders
• Five Jennies collected two or more hits. Schoonover, King, Smith, and Deer all had two hits fall while Markin had three.
• Schoonover was 2-3 with a walk and scored three runs.
• Markin went 3-4 at the plate, including a team high four runs batted in and scored two runs herself.
• Smith knocked in two runs on two hits.
• Deer singled twice and scored a run.
For the Golden Suns
• Seven different Golden Sun players scored runs. Three players crossed the plate twice and Ashton Sangster had three runs.
• Sarah Coronado singled and hit a three-run homerun, going 2-4. She had four total RBI and two runs scored.
• Gaby Vasquez chipped in two hits, two RBI, and a run scored.
• In addition to hitting the tie breaking homerun, Goodnight was the winning pitcher in the game. She faced four batters and held the Jens hitless while striking out two.
Game Two: Harding 5, Central Missouri 2.
Play by Play
• It was a pitcher's dual to start between Jennies starter
Sarah Brown and Harding's Amanda Berry. Neither pitcher surrendered a run in the first three innings.
• Harding broke the scoreless tie in the home half of the first on an RBI groundout. One batter later, Madison Leggett doubled the score with a solo home run.
• UCM finally crossed the plate in the sixth.
Courtni Smith and
Aubrey Daniel each singled in runs to tie the game at two.
• That tie didn't last long as the Bisons scored three in the bottom of the inning, getting run-scoring singles from Katlyn Gordon and Lindsey Duncan.
• Central Missouri brought the tying run to the plate with no outs in the seventh as Deer and Schoonover each singled, but three straight groundouts ended the game.
Jennies Stats Leaders
• Deer was the only Jennie with two hits, going 2-4 with a stolen base.
• Smith reached base twice with a hit and a walk and drove in a run.
• Brown started and threw four innings giving up two runs on three hits.
•
Alexa Bradley gave up three runs on four hits in two innings with two strikeouts.
For the Bisons
• Amanda Berry threw 5.2 innings and allowed both runs while striking out five and walking two.
• Emily Garrett earned the win in relief going 1.1 scoreless innings giving up two hits.
• Gordon had a hit and walk and drove in two runs while scoring one hersef.
News and Notes
• This is the first time all season the Jennies have lost two games on the same day.
• The Jennies eight runs and 12 hits are the second most they have had in a game this season.
•
Emily King picked up a hit in every game in Bentonville and carries a four game hitting streak.
• With a pair of two-hit games on the day,
Lauryn Deer is up to four multiple hit games this season.
• Central Missouri picked up six two-out RBI, but also left 16 runners on base between the two games.
Up Next
• The Jennies will return to Bentonville, Ark. next weekend as they compete in the Arkansas-Monticello 9-State Classic. Their first opponent will be Concordia-St. Paul at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 16.
