OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (April 26, 2018) - Central Missouri's 2018 Softball season has come to a grinding halt. The No. 2 seed in the MIAA Tournament fell Thursday evening in their two games, one to Lindenwood and the other Northeastern State. The Jennies finish the year at 30-22 overall after going 19-7 in the MIAA.
Game 1 - Lindenwood 2, Central Missouri 1
Play-by-Play
• This was as closely contested as they come. No score in the first two innings, but that changed in the third. Lindenwood loaded the bases with nobody out. Jennies starter
Alexa Bradley got two ground ball outs to keep the game tied, but she allowed the first run to cross on a four pitch walk to Sam Dean.
Katie Giacone entered after the free pass and retired the next batter.
• That was all the scoring until the seventh. The Jennies had chances, most notably in the fifth when they had two on with one out. Two fly outs though ended the inning.
• The Lions added an insurance run in the seventh and it came in handy. With two outs, Austine Pauley crushed a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left for a solo home run.
• That run proved to be the difference. The Jennies led off the bottom half with singles from
Hailey Crabtree and
Kaitlyn Markin.
Alexis Koop scored Crabtree with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.
Courtni Smith singled with two out, putting Markin on second, the Lions got a strikeout to end the game.
Jennies Stat Leaders
•
Katie Giacone pitched 4.1 innings and gave up one run on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
•
Alexa Bradley threw the first 2.2 innings allowing a run on four hits with two walk and one strikeout.
• The Jennies collected eight hits, getting two apiece from
Lauryn Deer,
Kaitlyn Markin and
Alexis Koop.
• Koop finished 2-2 with with an RBI.
•
Hailey Crabtree was 1-3 with a run scored.
For the Lions
• Stormee Galka threw a complete game scattering eight hits but allowing just one run. She struck out three and walked none.
• Austine Pauley had a big solo home run in the seventh. She was 2-2 with both runs scored and an RBI.
• Megan Clark went 2-4 out of the leadoff spot.
Game Two - Northeastern State 5, Central Missouri 3
Play-by-Play
• This was another pitching duel at the start.
Alexa Bradley was given the ball again and held the RiverHawks scoreless through five.
• It looked like the Jennies were about to take the lead in the fourth, when
Allie Dishinger hit a deep drive to center with two on and two outs. NSU centerfielder Jessica Boone made an outstanding diving catch on the warning track to keep the game tied.
• An inning later though, UCM finally broke through.
Courtni Smith led off with a single and scored the game's first run on Payton Summer's sacrifice fly. With runners on second and third with two out,
Hailey Crabtree made it a 3-0 game when her singled found a role on the right side of the infield.
Taylor Dames and pinch runner
Brenlyn McCoy came around to score.
• The lead didn't last long though. Bradley gave up a walk to the first batter she faced in the sixth, and one pitch later, it was a one run game as Haley Acrey took Bradley deep to left.
•
Katie Giacone came on to relieve Bradley after the home run. She gave up a one-out triple though. After getting Jessica Boone to strikeout, Kaleigh Hinkle tied the game with a single to left.
• The RiverHawks made it five unanswered runs, taking their first lead in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Giacone got a ground ball and
Hailey Crabtree came up firing to the plate, just in time to get the runner trying to score from third.
• One batter later, Giacone got another ground ball that looked to be the end of the inning, but it was misplayed and the throw to first was a hair late as NSU took a 4-3 lead. On the first pitch Jessica Boone made it 5-3 dunking a single into no-man's-land in left field.
• Central Missouri led off the bottom half of the inning with singles from
Taylor Dames and
Emily King, but they were left stranded there and the RiverHawks held on for a 5-3 win.
Jennies Stat Leaders
•
Taylor Dames picked up three of the Jennies nine hits with three singles and a run scored.
•
Hailey Crabtree drove in two runs and finished 1-4.
•
Payton Summers went 1-3 with a single and an RBI.
•
Alexis Koop was on base twice with a single and a walk.
•
Alexa Bradley's started and went the first five innings. She allowed two runs on five hits with four strikeouts and one walk.
•
Katie Giacone gave up three runs (one earned) on four hits in two innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
For the RiverHawks
• Paige Gann reached base three times with two hits and a walk. She also scored twice.
• Kaleigh Hinkle was 2-4 with an RBI.
• Haley Acrey had two RBI with a home run and a run scored.
• Gail Young got the win out of the bullpen throwing two scoreless innings. She gave up three hits with one strikeout.
• Sydney Balderrama started and lasted five innings allowing three runs on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
News and Notes
• The Jennies finish the season with 30 wins for the first time since the 2015 season.
• Central Missouri recorded 17 hits in two games - all singles.
•
Lauryn Deer needed one more hit to reach 100 for her career. She is at 99. Her 61 hits this season are just shy of the all-time top-10 list.
•
Emily King becomes just the 23rd Jennie to ever reach 150 career hits. She finished her career at 152.
