ST. LOUIS – Twenty days after the initial scheduled doubleheader, Missouri Baptist Softball split at home against Williams Baptist on Saturday.
GAME ONE
After a quick one, two, three inning by WBU, MoBap put two runners in scoring position during the bottom of the first but was unable to capitalize.
Shelby Sievers kept things quick in top of the second forcing three straight ground-outs. The Spartans got the bats working in the bottom half of the inning After an error allowed for
Haley Tate to get on first,
AnnaBeth Batson singled through the left side, advancing Tate to second. Both runners advanced on a groundout by
Molly McPheeters, to set up two in scoring position with only one out.
Megan Pfeiffer laid down the bunt towards first base and was able to beat out the throw as Tate scored and Batson moved to third.
Ellie Wessel gave MBU another one with a single towards the second basemen allowing Batson to score and give the Spartans an early 2-0 lead.
Sievers was rolling as she again shuts down the side in the top of the third. In the bottom of the third Tate once again found her way on base, this time with a single up the middle. Batson was walked, but later out on a fielder's choice that put Tate on third and McPheeters on first. McPheeters then jogged towards second hoping to force a throw that would give Tate a chance to swipe home. WBU bit on the bait and on the throw, Tate stole home. After failing to catch McPheeters at second the Eagles tried to catch Tate at home but couldn't get it there in time. McPheeters advanced to third on the throw home. Pfeiffer then singled into center field scoring McPheeters to extend the Spartans lead to 4-0.
The Eagles would have to wait another inning for a base runner as Sievers continued to handle the Williams Baptist offense in the top of the fourth. In the top of the fifth Kaydra Cole broke up Sievers no-hitter with a double to the wall, but the Eagles failed to capitalize and score any runs.
The Spartans added another run in the bottom of the fifth as Tate once again scored off a single by Pfeiffer. Neither team would score in the remainder of the game as Sievers earned the complete game shutout victory.
GAME TWO
The second game of the doubleheader started quiet as neither team could get on base in the first inning but the Eagles broke the scoreless tie in the top of the second and took the early 1-0 lead. The Spartans waited until the third inning to answer back but did so in a big way.
Natalie Archer kicked things off with a single through the right side.
Isabella Schlemmer followed up with a single of her own to put Archer in scoring position. After a groundout by
Sydney Berry that advanced both runners into scoring position, Bone singled back at the pitcher and beat out the throw to first, allowing Archer to score and Schlemmer to advance to third. Schlemmer came home as Wessel put the ball in play and a throwing error by the third basemen allowed her to reach as Bone made her way to third. Another error by the Eagles allowed Sievers on board as Wessel advanced to third and Bone to score on the play. The Spartans then converted on a double steal that scored Wessel to extend the Spartan lead to 4-1, and put Sievers on second. Sievers was later brought home off a SAC fly from
Kolby Brake to give the Spartans their largest lead of the game.
The Eagles clawed back scoring five of their own in the top of the fourth to reclaim the lead, 6-5. The Spartans were able to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Sievers and Bone scored off a triple by Brake to put MoBap back on top 7-6.
WBU refused to go away adding two more in the top of the sixth to once again steal the lead. MBU added one more of their own in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 9-8 but was unable to mount the comeback, falling at home during the second game of the doubleheader.
MBU will be looking to turn it around quickly as Central Baptist College comes to town on Monday, April 18 for a doubleheader starting at 11:00 AM.
