KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After struggling for offense for most of the afternoon, Missouri S&T racked up five runs in the top of the sixth inning – four scoring as the result of a grand slam by
Hannah Antzoulatos (Plainfield, Ill./Joliet Catholic Academy) – to gain a split of its Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader Monday against William Jewell. The Miners (10-10, 2-2 GLVC) took the nightcap 6-3 after the Cardinals (3-11, 1-1 GLVC) captured game one by a 5-1 count.
Game 1: William Jewell 5, Miners 1
The Cardinals scored twice in the third and fifth innings and then got a home run from Abby Dubinski in the sixth as they won their conference opener. The first runs scored on Sydney Cure's two-run triple in the third with two outs in the inning off S&T starting pitcher Charyle Rowland.
William Jewell added two more in the fifth, the first scoring when S&T was unable to turn what would have been an inning-ending double play, then Allison Rawls followed with a double to drive in the second run of the frame.
The Miners got on the scoreboard in the sixth when Antzoulatos singled with one out and came all the way around to score on a two-out double by
Shannon Flowers (Katy, Texas/Katy). However, the Cardinals got that run back in the bottom half o the inning on Dubinski's home run.
The Cardinals outhit S&T 9-6 in the contest as no Miner batter had more than one hit.
Game 2: Miners 6, William Jewell 3
Following three scoreless innings, the Cardinals broke on top in the fourth on a Dubinski ground out that scored Rawls. But the Miners answered back in the fifth as Antzoulatos led off the inning with a double, then advanced to third on
Emma Vaughn's (Pevely, Mo./Herculaneum) sacrifice bunt and scored on an opposite field single by
Baylee Jobson (Marceline, Mo./Marceline RV).
In the bottom half of the inning, though, William Jewell immediately regained the lead as Sophia Lopez led off with a double and came in to score on a triple by Abby Vandiver, who then stole home to extend the lead to 3-1. The Cardinals threatened to score more in the inning as they got two more runners on base, but Miner starter
Bryn Wooldridge (Salisbury, Mo./Salisbury) got a pop up to escape the jam.
After getting out of the fifth, the Miners unloaded in the sixth off a trio of Jewell pitchers to take their first lead of the afternoon. It began with a one-out single by
Ashley Davis (Erie, Ill./Erie), followed by a hit by Flowers, a pitching change and a walk to Wooldridge to load the bases. On a full count pitch, Antzoulatos blasted her grand slam to left center to put S&T into the lead.
S&T wasn't finished there, as Jobson singled with two outs in the inning and later scored on
Elizabeth Viox's (Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville) double down the line in right.
Wooldridge scattered seven hits in her complete game effort to improve her record to 6-3 with wins in her last three starts. S&T had a 9-7 advantage in hits in game two, with Flowers, Antzoulatos and Jobson getting two each.
Missouri S&T will open an eight-game homestand Wednesday when it hosts Minnesota State Moorhead in a doubleheader at the S&T Softball Field beginning at 1 p.m.
