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Box Score 2 ST. LOUIS – [Game One Box] [Game Two Box] The Missouri Baptist softball team got back into the win column with two, dominating victories over conference rival, Park. The Spartans shutout the Pirates, 3-0, in game one, before shutting out Park in game two, 7-0.
Missouri Baptist (8-8, 5-3 AMC) needed an outstanding performance from starting pitcher Jena Trombley in order to snap the four-game losing skid. The senior from Corona, Calif. earned the complete game shutout, as she gave up just four hits in the contest. She walked just one batter and struck out four Pirates.
Senior Corey Pitchford poked the only two hits for the Spartans and added a run scored.
Junior Kara Pochon led off the second inning with a walk and moved all the way to third when Dee Dee Peters' sac bunt was thrown into right field. The next batter, Mariah Randazzo skied a sac fly to left-center, which scored Pochon.
In the bottom of the third, Corey Pitchford led off with a single to shallow left. She moved to third when Mikala Torrence's sac bunt was thrown into right field. Torrence stole second, setting-up second and third for Payton Anderson. She grounded to short, but the throw to first drilled the Park dugout. Pitchford scored on the batted ball and Torrence moved to third. Sophomore Andrea Chessor followed with a sac fly down the left field line, which scored Torrence. That gave the Spartans a 3-0 lead after three innings.
It would be all that Trombley would need. Although the Pirates (14-9, 7-3 AMC) threatened in the top of the 4th with runners on second and third, Trombley picked-up an inning-ending strikeout to stop the threat.
Park led off the 7th inning with a single to shallow right, but Trombley struck out the next batter and the Spartan defense went to work for the final two outs. Pitchford snagged a line drive for the second out and fired the ball to first for the game-ending double play.
Sophomore pitcher Andrea Chessor took the ball in game two and did not disappoint. She gave up just five hits en route to a complete game shutout. Chessor tallied two strikeouts and just one walk in 86 pitches.
Not only did Chessor dominate in the circle, she led the Spartans with three hits at the plate.
Payton Anderson busted out of a minor slump with two hits in four at-bats, including a massive opposite field two-run home run. She added another RBI on a double.
Dee Dee Peters went 2-for-4 with a run scored, two RBI, and a double.
The theme of the game was two-out magic, as the Spartans scored all seven runs with two outs.
In the first inning, MBU plated three runs on three hits. After the Pirates recorded the first two outs to start the game, Mikala Torrence drew a walk. She would motor all the way around the bases to score on a double off the wall to left-center by Payton Anderson. Chessor singled up the middle to move Anderson to third. Kara Pochon had the at-bat of the day, drawing a walk on an eye-popping 16 pitches. That loaded the bases for Dee Dee Peters. She doubled to deep right-center, which plated Anderson and Chessor. Randazzo nearly added more damage in the inning, but the right fielder made a great play on a line shot that ended the inning.
The Spartans plated two more runs in the 3rd, both with two outs. Chessor singled up the middle with one out, but a strikeout seemed to slow down the threat. Peters kept the inning alive with a single to shallow right and Randazzo reached on a Pirate throwing error. That scored pinch-runner Darrian Chrzanoski from second. Donyelle DeMarse singled through the left side to score Peters, extending the MBU lead to 5-0. Snider ended the inning with a lineout to left field.
Park had a chance at cutting into the MBU lead with runners on second and third in the 5th, but Chessor forced an inning-ending groundout to end the threat.
In the bottom of the 6th, Pitchford reached on an infield single with one out. Two batters later, Payton Anderson hit a line drive blast over the fence in right-center, extending the lead to 7-0. It was Anderson's 6th home run of the season.
Chessor closed the door in the 7th, solidifying the shutout victory.
Missouri Baptist will head into non-conference action with a doubleheader on the road against NCAA Division III Greenville on Tuesday.
