Wichita Falls, Texas – The Missouri S&T Lady Miner softball squad used a nine fourth inning to overcome an early five run deficit but couldn't hold off a late inning comeback falling to Southwestern Oklahoma State 13-11 on Sunday morning at the MSU Round Robin in Wichita Falls, Texas. S&T's scheduled game against Midwestern State on Sunday afternoon was canceled due to problems at another field.

The Bulldogs (6-4) struck first scoring five runs in the top of the second. Monica West scored on a single to center off the bat of Angelica Davidson for the first run of the game. With two outs Rileigh Ricken doubled home Davidson to make it 2-0. After a walk, Tori Hawk hit a three-run homer to center field.

The Lady Miners (2-3) got a couple of runs back in the home half of the third. They loaded the bases with no outs and Savannah Fedorchak (Oakville, Mo./Oakville) drove in the first run with a walk. With two outs, Kelly Heckemeyer (St. Elizabeth, Mo./St. Elizabeth) delivered an RBI single to left scoring Jacey Allen (Roanoke, Texas/Byron Nelson) to make it 5-2. They still had the bases loaded but a strikeout ended the threat.

S&T sent 14 batters to the plate in the fourth scoring nine runs on four hits and three errors. Jacey Allen (Roanoke, Texas/Byron Nelson) drove in Rachel Aiardo (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) and Monica Weiss (St. Louis, Mo./Marquette ) with a single to right to make it 5-4. Fedorchak tied the game with her second RBI of the day with a fielder's choice scoring Abby Klein (Kansas City, MO/Staley). After an error loaded the bases again Hannah Franceschini (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) singled to right to score Allen giving the Lady Miners a 6-5 lead.
With one out, Ashley Rausch (Washington, Iowa/Washington) added to the lead with a single up the middle scoring Carley Hamman to make it 7-5. With two outs in the inning Weiss reached on an error by the shortstop scoring Heckemeyer to make it 8-5. Abby Klein (Kansas City, MO/Staley) delivered a two run double to right to make it 10-5. With runners at second and third a throwing error by the third baseman allowed Weiss to score to make it 11-5.

Southwestern Oklahoma got a run back in the fifth with a double steal as Hawk scored from third cutting the lead to five runs. The Bulldogs had a runner on second with one out but Kati Viets (Sweet Springs, Mo./Sweet Springs) got back-to-back popups to get out of the inning.

SWOSU added four more in the sixth inning. Ricken reached on a fielder's choice which allowed Miranda McDonald and West to score to make it 11-8. With two outs and Ricken on third Hawk hit her second home run of the game to cut the Lady Miner lead to 11-10. Ashley Hill (Centralia, Mo./Centralia) came on to relieve Viets and got Morgan Swisher to pop up to end the inning.

The Bulldogs regained the lead in the top of the seventh on a hit by pitch and a two run homer off the bat of Kaitlyn Donaldson to make it 12-11. Two more hit by pitches and a walk loaded the bases for Ricken who drove in Davidson with a sacrifice fly to center. Avery English (Carterville, Ill./Carterville) avoided any further damage getting a pop out and a strikeout to escape further damage.

S&T got a pair of walks in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't push them across flying out three times to end the game.

Klein and Allen led the Lady Miner attack with two hits apiece. Weiss, Fedorchak, Hamann, Franceschini, Heckemeyer and Rausch had a hit each. Viets went the first 5.2 innings allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on 10 hits with three walks and a strikeout. Hill took the loss tossing 0.1 allowing three runs on a hit with a walk.

S&T returns to action next Saturday taking on Maryville University at 11 a.m. and Lincoln University at 3 p.m. at Maryville University in St. Louis.