Bolivar, Mo. – The Missouri S&T Lady Miner softball squad dropped a pair of pitcher's duels 2-1 and 3-1 on Tuesday afternoon at the SBU Softball Field in Bolivar, Mo. The Lady Miners (7-12) were held to just eight hits in the doubleheader sweep.
Game 1 – Southwest Baptist 2 Lady Miners 1
The opener was a pitcher's duel between
Avery English (Carterville, Ill./Carterville) and SBU's Kacey Ayers and was scoreless through three innings. The Bearcats (13-5) had an opportunity in the first inning putting a couple of runners on base but English was able to get a strikeout to end the frame.
S&T was held hitless through the first three frames before breaking through in the fourth.
Abby Klein (Kansas City, MO/Staley) led off the inning with a single to right center, then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from
Monica Weiss (St. Louis, Mo./Marquette ). Klein moved over to third on a groundout to second by
Carley Hamann (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln Way North).
Kelly Heckemeyer (St. Elizabeth, Mo./St. Elizabeth) gave the Lady Miners the lead hitting a 3-2 pitch through the right side of the infield to score Klein.
Southwest Baptist got three straight infield singles to open the home half of the sixth. English was able to retire Lauren Strobel on a soft lineout to Klein for the first out. Stormy Christerson followed with a single to right field plating two runs to give the Bearcats the lead. S&T was able to avoid further damage turning a 9-4-6-2 double play to end the inning.
S&T was held to just three hits in the opener with Klein, Heckemeyer and
Olivia Young (Milstadt, Ill./Belleville Township) accounting for the offense. English was the tough luck loser allowing two runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Game 2 – Southwest Baptist 3 Lady Miners 1
The Lady Miners got on the board quickly scoring with two outs in the first.
Abby Klein (Kansas City, MO/Staley) led off the game with a walk and with two outs moved to third on a single by
Savannah Fedorchak (Oakville, Mo./Oakville). Hamann struck out but a passed ball allowed her to reach first and Klein to score.
Hannah Franceschini (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield Central) followed with a single to load the bases but Young struck out to end the inning.
Kati Viets (Sweet Springs, Mo./Sweet Springs) retired the first two Bearcat hitters in the bottom of the first but issued a walk and then Dana Graves hit a 3-1 pitch over the fence in left to give SBU a 2-1 lead.
S&T had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the fifth getting a lead-off double from Weiss but couldn't bring her in.
The Bearcats added to their lead in the home half of the fifth getting back-to-back singles to start the inning. A flyout put runners on the corner with one out and Christerson drove home the runner from third with a single off the fence in left. Viets would then work out of a bases loaded jam to end the inning.
The Lady Miners had a chance to tie the game in the seventh getting a two-out double from Heckemeyer but Fedorchak's long drive to right center was run down by the center fielder to end the game.
S&T was held to five hits in the nightcap. Weiss, Heckemeyer, Fedorchak, Franceschini and
Lori Badalamenti (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland ) had a hit apiece. Viets suffered the loss allowing three runs on nine hits in six innings of work.
The Lady Miners return to action next Wednesday hosting Lindenwood in a doubleheader to open the home portion of their schedule. The doubleheader begins at 2 p.m.
