WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- Central Missouri Jennies softball opened its 2022 home schedule with split of two games in the Fairfield Inn and Suites Classic Saturday, March 19, at Jennies Field at the South Recreation Complex, dropping game one to St. Cloud State, 5-4, before downing No. 10-ranked Augustana, 8-7, in nine innings in the nightcap.
The Jennies (8-15) are slated to face St. Cloud State and Augustana again Sunday, March 20, in Warrensburg and noon and 4 p.m.
Game 1: St. Cloud State 5, Central Missouri 4
In UCM's 5-4 game one loss against the St. Cloud State Huskies, the Jennies jumped out to a 4-0 lead only to see the Huskies score five runs in the top of the seventh inning to rally and win the game.
Ashlyn Cook went 2-for-3 with two runs scored while
Bailee Bryant added a double and RBI, pacing Central Missouri at the plate in the opener.
Sadie Parks (2-5) was the tough-luck losing pitcher in game one for UCM after allowing two earned runs on three hits with no strikeouts or walks in a third of an inning.
Haley McFarlane went 1-for-4 with three runs driven in on a bases clearing double in the top of the seventh, and Sydney Trees went 1-for-4 with what proved to be the game-winning two-run home run in the seventh, leading St. Cloud State (10-9) offensively.
SCSU reliever Emma Eickhoff (3-3) earned the win in the circle after throwing three scoreless innings in relief and giving up just one hit with six strikeouts and zero walks.
Game 2: Central Missouri 8, No. 10 Augustana 7
Ashlyn Cook hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring
Laney Killpack and giving the Jennies an 8-7 win over the No. 10-ranked Vikings of Augustana in game two Saturday.
Central Missouri trailed Augie, 6-4, going into the bottom of the seventh inning before Cook belted a two-out double to right-center, allowing
Abbey Fischer and
Aubrie McRoberts to cross home plate, knotting the contest, 6-6, and sending the game into extra innings.
Both teams plated a run in the eighth, progressing the contest to the ninth inning at 7-7.
Killpack, who started the bottom of the ninth on second base as part of the international tiebreaker rule, moved to third base on a fielder's choice bunt off the bat of
Peyton Corrigan prior to scoring the game-winning run on Cook's RBI single to right-center.
Cook ended the game with an impressive 4-for-5 performance at the plate with a double, triple and five RBIs.
UCM starter
Kyleigh Lay (4-3) tossed all nine innings in the circle to earn the victory, allowing seven runs -- five earned -- on 12 hits with eight Ks and zero walks on 138 total pitches.
Gracey Brink went 3-for-4, and Mary Pardo went 2-for-5 with a homer, triple and drove in a run, pacing Augustana (14-5) at the plate.
Augie reliever Makayla Williams (4-2) suffered the setback after surrendering one unearned run on one hit with a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning of work.
