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Box Score 2 ST. LOUIS – [Game One Box] [Game Two Box] The Missouri Baptist softball team dropped two close contests to NCAA Division III No. 18 Washington University-St. Louis, 4-3, and 3-2. The Spartans fall to .500 on the season, but will take-on Freed-Hardeman on Friday.
Missouri Baptist (6-6) out-hit the Bears in game one, 8-7, but the Spartans allowed three runs in the late innings.
The Spartans got the scoring started with two runs in the top of the 2nd inning. Mikala Torrence led off with a double to left and moved to third on a wild pitch. Dee Dee Peters reached on a one-out walk and quickly stole second. With two out, Mariah Randazzo laced a two-out, two-RBI double to left field, which scored Torrence and Peters.
WashU cut into the deficit with one run on two hits in the 3rd inning.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Bears clawed three runs across the plate on four hits and one MBU errors off of starter Jena Trombley. That gave the Bears a 4-2 lead after six innings.
MBU put the tying run on base in the 7th after back-to-back singles by Lexi Gray and Mariah Randazzo. Kelsey Snider moved the runners up a base with a sac bunt. After the second out was retired via strikeout, Gray scored on a wild pitch, shrinking the WashU lead to 4-3. Payton Anderson walked with two outs, but was called out heading for second base, ending the game.
Mariah Randazzo led the Spartans with two hits in three at-bats. She posted a double and two RBI in the game.
Sophomore Andrea Chessor tallied two hits in the contest.
Jena Trombley took the complete game loss for the Spartans. She allowed four earned runs on seven hits and struck out two batters.
In game two, the Spartans jumped on the scoreboard first, with two runs in the 2nd inning. Mikala Torrence led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Andrea Chessor. With two outs, freshman Lexi Gray hammered a 2-run bomb to center, her first home run of her career.
The Bears did not answer the MBU runs until the 6th inning, when Anna McKee blasted a game-tying home run to center. WashU followed the homer by posting two, 2-out hits. The second nearly scored the go-ahead run. On an infield single, the Spartans retired the runner attempting to score with a successful rundown (6-2-5).
Neither team could score the winning run through seven innings, activating the international tie-breaker procedure. Kara Pochon began the inning on second, but would be tagged out when Torrence grounded into a fielder's choice. MBU could not get the runner across home plate, setting-up a game-winner for WashU.
The Bears plated the game-winning run on one hit and were aided by a MBU passed ball. A single up the middle scored the run, ending the game, 3-2.
Andrea Chessor posted two hits in two at-bats, while Corey Pitchford and Payton Anderson added two hits in four at-bats. Lexi Gray had just one hit, but posted the 2-run home run.
Freshman Nicole Hughes was charged with the loss. She gave up one unearned run on one hit in 0.1 innings of work.
Starter Andrea Chessor gave up two earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings. She tallied four strikeouts and did not walk a batter.
Freshman Madison Calvert gave up just two hits in 1.2 innings.
The Spartans will be back on the field on Friday against Freed-Hardeman in AMC action.
