Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 ST. LOUIS – After losing its 11th straight contest in game one, 2-0, the Missouri Baptist softball team showed resiliency by winning game two against Lindenwood University, 8-6, in nine innings.
Missouri Baptist (24-25) recorded just two hits in the first game against the NCAA Division II squad.
Even with the limited amount of hits, the Spartans had plenty of chances to get on the board.
In the top of the 1st, MBU had runners on first and second with two outs, but Corey Pitchford struck out to end the inning.
In the top of the 2nd, Kelsey Snider reached first via bunt single. She would move to second on a sac bunt, which was the second out of the inning. Andrea Chessor walked to put runners on first and second, but Brittany Edelen lined out to third base to end the threat.
In the bottom of the 3rd, the Lions got all the scoring they needed. After back-to-back singles started the inning, Chessor was able to retire the next two batters. With two outs and runners on second and third, the Lions took a 2-0 lead on a single through the right side.
Lindenwood retired the next 14-straight batters, which spanned from the top of the 3rd to one out in the 7th. With one out in the 7th, the Spartans got a spark. Mariah Randazzo drew a walk, but would quickly be retired on a fielder's choice. With two outs, Sierra Thompson gave MBU its second hit of the game, a single, which put the tying run on base. Chessor walked, loading the bases for pinch hitter Donyelle DeMarse. DeMarse hit a sharp ground ball to the right side, but the Lions were able to get the final out at second base, finalizing the score at 2-0.
Chessor was tagged with the loss in the circle. He gave up two earned runs on 11 hits over 6.0 innings. She struck out two and did not walk a batter.
Kelsey Snider (1-for-3) and Sierra Thompson (1-for-2) had the hits for MBU.
Game two was a battle from start to finish. Only seven of the 18 half-innings did not produce runs as both teams played to win each inning.
Missouri Baptist jumped on the board in the top of the 1st with three runs on three hits. Brittany Edelen roped a leadoff single, stole second, and advanced to third on Corey Pitchford's bunt single. Pitchford would move to second and Edelen would score on a wild pitch, setting the table for Payton Anderson. Anderson deposited a Lion pitch over the wall for a 2-run homer, giving the Spartans a 3-0 lead.
Lindenwood answered back with one run on one hit in the bottom of the 1st.
Missouri Baptist answered that rebuttal with another run in the top of the 2nd. Deanna Peters laced her third triple of the season to get things rolling. Katie Alexander drove her in with a single, giving MBU a 4-1 lead.
The Lions plated another run in the bottom of the 2nd, cutting the MBU lead to 4-2.
Kelsey Snider drew a walk with two outs in the 3rd, stole second and scored on a fielding error. That gave Missouri Baptist a 5-2 lead.
The Lions manufactured another run in the bottom of the 3rd and the score stood at 5-3 after three innings.
Innings four and five did not see any scoring and the Spartans held a 5-3 lead after five complete innings.
In the bottom of the 6th, Lindenwood came through with a two-out two-RBI single, which tied the contest at 5-5.
Neither team could scratch across a run in the 7th, which sent the game into extra innings.
In the top of the 8th, the international tiebreaker rule was activated. That meant that the Spartans would have a runner on second base, which was Donyelle DeMarse. After the Lions got two quick outs, Deanna Peters came through in the clutch with an RBI single, giving the Spartans a 6-5 lead.
Lindenwood tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the 6th inning with an RBI single with one out.
In the top of the 9th inning, Corey Pitchford lined a one-out triple that scored Katie Alexander to put the Spartans ahead 7-6. The Spartans were not done. After the Lions got the second out of the inning, Amanda Williams roped a single to easily score Pitchford from third.
Lindenwood would not go down without a fight, as they cut the deficit to 8-7, but Andrea Chessor was able to get the next two outs without allowing the tying run to cross the plate.
Chessor picked up the win in relief. She tossed 3.0 innings of work, giving up two unearned runs on three hits. Jena Trombley started the game and gave up five runs, four earned, on eight hits. She struck out three and walked one.
The Spartans roped ten hits in the win. Deanna Peters led the Spartans at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, an RBI, and a triple. Corey Pitchford went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, a walk, a triple, and a stolen base. Katie Alexander went 2-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI, and a sac bunt. Payton Anderson hit her team-leading fifth home run and team-leading 41st RBI.
The Spartans will now wait to see who they will play in the American Midwest Conference Tournament, which is set to begin on Friday.
