WARRENSBURG, Mo. (March 31, 2018) - It was Breast Cancer Awareness Day at Jennies Field as the Jennies took on Northwest Missouri. Two of the top teams in the MIAA battled in a pair of close games with each coming out on top in one. The split means UCM goes to 22-16 this season and 11-3 in the MIAA.
Game One - Northwest Missouri 6, Central Missouri 5
Play-by-Play
• Central Missouri's comeback attempt in game one fell just short. The Bearcats scored the first six runs in this game. It was scoreless until the third when Erin Keeney scored Rebecca Maher with a sacrifice fly.
• An inning later, the Bearcats scored five more on five hits and were helped out by three Jennies fielding errors. The inning started with four straight singles, two of which were bunt hits. Maher's single, the fourth of the frame, gave the Bearcats a 2-0 lead. Two batters later, after the first error of the inning, Kaitlyn Weis took Jennies started
Alexa Bradley deep for a grand slam, giving NWMSU a 6-0 cushion.
• The Jens didn't quit though and scored in three of the final four innings. The first two came on a fielding error in the fourth as pinch runner
Makayla Schoonover and
Hailey Crabtree came around to score.
• After Bradley kept the Bearcats off the board in the fifth and sixth,
Kaitlyn Markin scored
Alexis Koop with a sacrifice fly to cut the lead in half.
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Katie Giacone relieved Bradley with two on and no outs in the seventh, and retired the only three batters she faced, keeping it a three-run game.
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Courtni Smith started the seventh inning with a single. After
Payton Summers popped up for out number one, the Jens picked up three straight singles and scored two runs, making it a 6-5 game. With two outs and runners on first and second, Markin's deep fly ball to right was caught to end the game and the comeback fell just short.
Jennies Stat Leaders
• Crabtree finished the game 3-4 and scored two runs.
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Lauryn Deer picked up two hits.
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Emily King,
Alexis Koop,
Allie Dishinger and
Kaitlyn Markin all drove in a run.
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Alexa Bradley pitched the first six innings and gave up six runs (five earned) on 11 hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
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Katie Giacone was perfect in her inning of work.
For the Bearcats
• Kaitlyn Weis reached base three times with a home run and two hit by pitches. She scored a run and drove in four.
• Rebecca Maher went 2-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
• Taylor Blackford got the win pitching four innings and giving up two runs (zero earned) on five hits with a strikeout.
• Sydne Brashear and Kiana Baderdeen each went 2-4.
Game Two - Central Missouri 2, Northwest Missouri 0
• Game two was a pitcher's dual throughout. The Jennies got a run in the first on
Payton Summers' run-scoring single as
Lauryn Deer scored and the pitchers did the rest, making it hold up for seven innings.
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Taylor Dames gave UCM an insurance run in the third with an RBI double to right center as Deer scored her second run of the game.
• The Bearcats didn't get their first hit until the fourth inning. They loaded the bases with one out against starter
Sarah Brown. It was Giacone again to come out of the bullpen and put out the fire. With the bags full, she got an infield fly and a ground out to end the inning.
• That wasn't the only inning the Bearcats left runners on base. They stranded two in both the fifth and seventh innings.
Jennies Stat Leaders
• Giacone got the win out of the bullpen pitching 3.2 innings without allowing a run on three hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
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Lauryn Deer scored the only two runs of the game. She was 1-3 and stole a base.
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Taylor Dames and
Payton Summers each had a hit and an RBI.
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Sarah Brown started and went the first 3.1 innings. She didn't allow a run on three hits and one walk.
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Alexis Koop had the Jennies only other hit of the game.
For the Bearcats
• Rachel Smith started and threw all six innings. She gave up four hits and two runs (one earned) with two walks and two strikeouts.
• Kiana Baderdeen went 2-3 out of the nine hole.
• Karli Allen reached base three times with a single and two walks.
News and Notes
• The Jennies win in game two snapped a four-game losing streak to the Bearcats.
• NWMSU is now 2-1 against UCM this season with a nonconference win from back in February.
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Katie Giacone has earned a win in three of her last four appearances. She hasn't allowed a run in any of her last seven which spans 16.2 innings. She is now 9-5 this season.
• Both teams combined for nine errors in game one. That is the most combined errors in a UCM game this season.
• Central Missouri's last shutout win came last weekend, March 25th against Nebraska-Kearney. It is their fifth win by shutout this season.
• The Jennies four hits match their lowest in a win this season. They also won at Fort Hays State, 2-1, with four hits.
• The game one loss was the Jennies first home loss of the season. They are 9-1 in Warrensburg.
• UCM gave Bearcat starter, Rachel Smith, just her second loss of the season against 10 wins.
• With 11 MIAA wins, the Jennies are alone in second place in the standings.
Up Next
• Central Missouri will continue their homestand next week when they take on Northeastern State Friday, April 6 with a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.
