WARRENSBURG, Mo. – The Central Missouri Jennies (13-15, 4-6) dropped a pair of games to the Emporia State Hornets (22-13, 6-6) by final scores of 9-8 and 9-6 on Saturday, March 23, from Jennies Field at the South Recreation Complex in Warrensburg.
The Jens return to the diamond on Tuesday, March 26, as they hit the road for a doubleheader against the Missouri – St. Louis Tritons (16-12, 3-1) with first pitch of game one scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from UMSL Softball Field in St. Louis, Mo.
Game 1: Emporia State 9, Central Missouri 8
The Jens got on the board with a trio of runs in the bottom of the first beginning with a
Breanna Newton sacrifice fly that scored
Jadyn Sheffield followed by a second baseman
Taylor Thompson two-run dinger (scoring
Hayden Serna).
ESU took the lead putting up four runs in the top of the third, but Central Missouri responded with four runs of their own as Newton delivered with an RBI single tying the game at four as Thompson gave the Jens a 7-4 lead with a three-run shot to center field.
The Hornets answered with a pair of runs in the fourth, but UCM's
Laney Killpack doubled down the left field line scoring
Aubrie McRoberts in the bottom of the sixth making it an 8-6 lead. Emporia State responded with three runs in the next half inning as
Brooke Weimer (5-7) suffered the loss in the circle tossing 4 2/3 innings in relief of
Paige Petefish.
Thompson paced UCM offensively going a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with a career-high five RBI for good measure.
Game 2: Emporia State 9, Central Missouri 6
Central Missouri jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with a bases-loaded wild pitch that scored Serna, before doubling the lead with a Sheffield RBI single that scored McRoberts.
In the bottom of the third, the Jens extended their lead with four runs capped off by a 2-RBI single from Serna scoring
Lexi Blackmon and Killpack making it 6-0. The Hornets responded with seven runs in the sixth and a pair of runs in the seventh en route to their 22
nd win of the season.
