MELBOURNE, Fla. – No. 15 Missouri Baptist University softball hit six home runs on Friday to cap off a 6-0 trip to Florida with wins over Ave Maria University (Fla.) and the University of Saint Francis (Ind.).
Alohilani Bursey hit two of the four home runs in game one and drove in seven runs to lead a 13-1 victory over Ave Maria.
Jacie Dees and
Camryn Kessler each circled the pillows in game two versus USF to back
Kaylie Brake's third consecutive complete-game win in the circle.
Ave Maria Recap
Senior
Brooklynn Fischer got the start in game one on Friday and struck out three hitters over the first two scoreless innings.
Back-to-back singles from
Emily Wright and
Makayla Johnson in the third inning set the stage for Bursey's first home run of the game to centerfield.
The Gyrenes got a run back in the bottom half of the third, but Bursey drove in two more with an RBI single in the fourth to extend the lead out to 5-1.
Allison Leigraf took a 3-1 pitch deep for a two-run shot in the fifth inning, followed in the seventh by a two-run home run from Bursey, a two-RBI double from Dees, and a two-run home run by
Miranda Ladson.
Fischer went into the seventh with a 13-1 lead and finished off the complete game by working around a one-out walk. She improved her record to 4-2 this season and added eight strikeouts to her total.
Winning Pitcher: Brooklynn Fischer (4-2)
Losing Pitcher: Noelani Sokolik (1-4)
Batting Leaders
Alohilani Bursey: 3-for-4, 2 HR, 7 RBI, BB, 2 R
Miranda Ladson: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Allison Leigraf: 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R
Saint Francis Recap
Brake got the nod for game two and stranded a pair of base runners in the top of the first inning. She avoided trouble after a two-out double in the second by getting Kortney Surber to pop out to second base.
In the bottom half of the second, Brake was rewarded for escaping danger. Dees led off with a solo home run, her first of the year, to open an MBU lead.
Miranda Ladson walked in the next at bat and scored on
Camryn Kessler's two-run home run to extend the advantage to three.
Haylee Schott took over pitching duties for Saint Francis in the third inning and gave her team four scoreless innings in relief of Ellie Sauder.
Brake was up for the task, however, and preserved the 3-0 lead through the remainder of the game. She ended the contest in the seventh with a 1-2-3 inning, including a strikeout.
The sophomore continued her hot streak on the pitching rubber with her third consecutive complete-game win to improve her record to 9-2 in 2026. She surrendered five hits and no walks while picking up the lone strikeout in the seventh.
Winning Pitcher: Kaylie Brake (9-2)
Losing Pitcher: Ellie Sauder (2-2)
Batting Leaders
Camryn Kessler: 1-for-2 HR, 2 RBI
Jacie Dees: 1-for-3, HR, RBI
Records:
No. 15 Missouri Baptist: 14-5
Ave Maria: 4-10
Saint Francis: 3-3
What's Next?
The Spartans travel out to Columbia, Mo., for a doubleheader against former conference rival Columbia College on Wednesday, March 11. The first pitch is set for 2 p.m.
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