COLUMBIA, Mo.- After earning the regular season Co-Championship title, Missouri Baptist Softball started the AMC Conference Tournament as the number two seed. It was a nail biter of a round one game against No. seven seed, Stephens College.
 
Since Missouri Baptist was the higher seed, they were designated as the home team and therefore started off the game in the field. Addison Rinderer was in the circle for the Spartans, letting a couple of hits go by at the start of the inning. She had the infield there to back her up with the Stars only scoring two runs on a couple well placed hits. Starting off the inning already down 2-0, MBU was looking to make up some runs. Madalyn Bone was the first to make it on base when she was hit by a pitch right in the top of the head. Shelby Sievers was able to move her around on a hit to the second baseman who fumbled it but the error went to the first baseman as she missed the throw. Both Bone and Sievers made it to scoring position while the Stars were trying to recover. Next up, Natalie Archer grounded out to the short stop, allowing Bone to make it home. Kolby Brake earned another walk on the season as she found herself on base and proceeded to steal second. With Brake and Sievers waiting at second and third, Allison Leigraf stepped up and hit a single out to center field to score them both. The Spartans ended the inning on top 3-2.
 
The next few at bats went by quick for both teams with only one hit earned between the two until the bottom of the third. With Archer on base with the second hit by pitch of the game and Sievers on via fielder's choice, Brake hit a home run over the left center fence. Leigraf followed up with one of her own for back-to-back home runs for the Spartans. A couple more runs came after Ellie Wessel made it one base with a single up the middle. With a sacrifice bunt by Meghan Hager she moved into scoring position. Molly McPheeters then hit a single down the left field line to score Wessel. McPheeters scored herself on a double hit by Abagail Cafolla also down the left field line.
 
In the bottom of the fourth MBU kept widening the gap with Sievers scoring on a wild pitch, bringing it 10-2. Stephens attempted a comeback in the top of the fifth with two home runs. Rinderer let the first one go by and was then substituted out for McKenna Joern. Unfortunately the second batter that Joern faced let one rip and chipped away at the Spartans lead. The Stars picked up three runs in that inning before being retired by a pop up to Bone at short. Those runs didn't go unanswered as Cafolla had a SAC fly to left field to bring in Hager for the Spartans last run of the game. For a little while it looked like Joern was going to be able to finish off the Stars until they decided to go down fighting. In the top of the seventh the Stars were able to add four more runs, nearly closing the gap. After Stephens put up two runs, Sievers went to the circle to close out the game but only after two more.
 
Missouri Baptist secured their place in the next round after finally shutting down Stephens 11-9. They will be taking on No. three seed, Central Baptist, tomorrow (May 3) at noon. They'll be looking to pay back the Mustangs for the loss they served them early last month when they split the double header.