NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For the first time since 2006, Missouri S&T's softball team opened a season with two straight victories as it scored twice in the seventh inning to down Trevecca Nazarene 3-2 in the first of its two games Friday at the Music City Invitational. S&T completed the sweep of its opening day of the season by knocking off Wisconsin-Parkside 6-4 in its second contest of the afternoon.
Game 1: Miners 3, Trevecca Nazarene 2
The Miners scored twice in the top of the seventh to break a 1-1 tie, scoring a pair of unearned runs as the result of an error with two outs, then held on as the Trojans loaded the bases and got a run home before starter
Bryn Wooldridge (Salisbury, Mo./Salisbury) got Kendall Andrews on a ground out to the end the game.
Elizabeth Viox (Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville) opened the top of the seventh with a base hit, then moved up to second following a one-out single by
Madison Passolano (Mokena, Ill./Lockport Township). After
Shannon Flowers (Katy, Texas/Katy) hit into a fielder's choice that retired Passolano at second, a passed ball moved Flowers into scoring position.
Bryn Wooldridge (Salisbury, Mo./Salisbury) reached on an error by shortstop Alyssa Triner, which allowed Viox and Flowers to score to give S&T a 3-1 lead.
Thanks in part to two errors in the bottom of the seventh, the Trojans were able to load the bases and got one run across on a two-out single by Triner before Wooldridge got Andrews to end the game.
Wooldridge, S&T's starting pitcher, drove in the first run of the contest in the third when she singled in Viox. She proceeded to keep the Trojans off the scoreboard until the sixth, when Carly Sperlich delivered a two-out triple to tied the game.
In her complete game effort in the circle, Wooldridge scattered eight hits while striking out five and not allowing a walk. Only one of the two runs that crossed the plate was earned.
Trevecca outhit the Miners 8-5 in the game; Viox had two of S&T's five hits.
The win was the first in a season opener for the Miners since they beat Missouri Southern to open the 2010 campaign.
Game 2: Miners 6, Wisconsin-Parkside 4
While the Miners had not won their opening game of a season in 12 years, it had been four additional seasons since S&T opened a year with two straight victories. But thanks to a trio of two-run innings, the Miners were able to secure a second straight win Friday afternoon.
The Miners scored two runs apiece in the first, third and fourth innings, then held off the Rangers' late rally to pick up the win. S&T opened the scoring in the bottom of the first when
Hannah Antzoulatos (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet Catholic Academy) led off with a triple and scored on Passolano's double that followed. Passolano would score later in the inning on an opposite field single by
Chloe Saltijeral (North Aurora, Ill./Rosary).
Passolano and Saltijeral were in on the scoring in the third as well, as Passolano led off the inning with a hit and moved up when Flowers reached on an error. After a fly ball by Wooldridge moved the lead runner to third, Saltijeral hit into a fielder's choice as Passolano came in to score. Flowers would score after a hit by Cierra Bell to give the Miners a 4-0 lead.
The Rangers got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the fourth, but the Miners answered back with two as Passolano tripled in Viox and crossed the plate herself on a double by Flowers.
Parkside scored three times in the sixth to cut the Miner lead to two, highlighted by a two-run triple by Taylor Delgado, before relief pitcher
Charlye Rowland (Pearcy, Ark./Lake Hamilton) retired Jadynn Powell on a ground ball to end the inning. Rowland pitched around an error in the seventh to complete the contest.
S&T starter
Julia Kanoy (Hamilton, Mo./Penney) threw the first five innings and allowed two hits and struck out nine to pick up her first collegiate win. Kanoy and Rowland combined to strike out 12 hitters in the contest and allowed four hits between them as the Miners had an 8-4 advantage in hits.
Passolano had three of S&T's hits – two for extra bases – and also drove in two as did Saltijeral.
The Miners will play twice on Saturday, facing Findlay at 11 a.m. and Kentucky Wesleyan at 3 p.m.
