RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (Feb. 18) - Central Missouri Jennies Softball kicked off the season this weekend with six games in Arkansas. After splitting their first two games Saturday and Sunday, the Jens closed it out with a sweep of Wisconsin-Parkside to go 4-2 this weekend.
Results
Jennies 6, Nebraska-Kearney 4
Rogers State 10, Jennies 0
Jennies 2, Minnesota-Mankato 0
Upper Iowa 8, Jennies 7
Jennies 9, Wisconsin-Parkside 5
Jennies 8, Wisconsin-Parkside 6
The weekend started off in Conway, Ark. with the Jennies defeating MIAA foe Nebraska-Kearney in a non-conference game. UCM trailed 4-1 heading into the sixth when they exploded for five runs to take a 6-4 lead. The Lopers got the tying runs on base in the seventh, but a line drive to short ended the game.
Shelby Clark earned the win for the Jennies. A few hours later, things did not go as well as the Jennies fell to Rogers State 10-0. The pitchers struggled against the future MIAA opponent, and that bats never woke up in the shutout loss.
Sunday followed a similar script as the first day with the Jennies winning game one. This time it was UCM pitching the shutout.
Alexa Bradley went the distance to pick up her first win of the season, giving up just five hits. The Jennies got two in the fifth on
Lauryn Deer's two-RBI single and that was all he scoring needed. The Jennies built a 4-1 lead after two innings of game two against Upper Iowa, but couldn't hang on. The Peacocks scored six in the third inning to take the lead and held on for a one-run win.
Kaitlyn Markin and
Ashlyn Cook each had two hits and two RBI.
On Monday in their sweep of Wisconsin-Parkside, Central Missouri totaled 32 hits, 15 in game one and 17 in game two with 17 total runs. In game one, Central Missouri raced out to a 9-0 lead, scoring five in the first inning. The Rangers scored in three of the final four innings, but not enough to tie or take the lead.
Alexa Bradley threw her second consecutive complete game for a win. Deer had a three-hit game and Markin drove in three runs. In game two the Jennies needed to come from behind as the Rangers took a 4-1 lead after two. UCM started the bottom of the second with four straight hits and they all came in to score. In a tie-game in the sixth,
Jessica Sader broke a 6-all tie with an RBI single. They added an insurance run and left the tying runs on base in the seventh to hold on for an 8-6 win.
For the weekend, Bradley led the Jennies pitchers with two wins and a 2.41 ERA.
Shelby Clark and
Sarah Brown also picked up wins for UCM.
At the plate,
Lauryn Deer totaled 10 hits, including the 100th of her career. She drove in five runs and scored five times.
Kaitlyn Markin was 6-14 with six RBI and five runs.
Hailey Crabtree had two triples and the Jennies hit .319 for the weekend.
Central Missouri is scheduled to take on Rogers State once again in a doubleheader Wednesday, Feb. 20 in Claremore, Okla. starting at 1 p.m.
