BENTONVILLE, Ark. – Missouri S&T's softball team picked up an extra inning win over Central Missouri to start the day on Saturday at the Alvy Early Memorial Tournament, but had to settle for a split after dropping its second contest to East Central to finish 1-2 in the weekend event.

The Miners (3-4) picked up the 5-4 win over the Jennies on Sydney Anderson's (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) run-scoring single in the top of the eighth, then Charlye Rowland (Pearcy, Ark./Lake Hamilton) pitched around a leadoff triple in the bottom of the inning to preserve the win.  However, the second contest didn't go in S&T's favor as East Central scored two early runs and went on to win 3-1.

Missouri S&T will return to play next weekend with five games at the Raising Canes Classic in Edmond, Okla., which will begin with a rematch against UCM on Friday evening.

Miners 5, Central Missouri 4 (8 innings)

UCM struck first by scoring two unearned runs in the second against Rowland, but the Miners evened things up in the fourth when Bryn Wooldridge (Salisbury, Mo./Salisbury) – batting as a pinch-hitter – reached on a fielder's choice and a subsequent throwing error on the play allowed pinch-runner Peyton Dillon (Yorkville, Ill./Rosary) and Allie Kelly (Park Hills, MO/Central) to score.

S&T then took the lead in the fifth when Elizabeth Viox (Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville) reached on an error and came around to score on a hit by Kiera Jones.  After Trista Grobe (DeSoto, MO/DeSoto) reached on an infield hit, Jones would score later in the inning on an error by the catcher.

The Jennies scored twice in the fifth to knot the contest against, with the tying run scoring on an error, but the Miners were able to get the eventual winning across in the eighth as Grobe singled, stole second, went to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on an opposite field single by Anderson.

Central got its leadoff hitter on in the eighth when Aubrie McRoberts tripled, but Rowland fanned the next three hitters to end the contest.

Grobe had three hits and Ty Neal (Enid, OK/Kremlin-Hilldale) had two to lead the Miners, while Rowland recorded three of her five strikeouts in the eighth in her complete game effort.

East Central 3, Miners 1

The Tigers scored single runs in the first and second innings against Wooldridge to take an early 2-0 lead, then got an insurance run on Zoe Acosta's leadoff home run in the sixth.  Wooldridge allowed only five hits and had five strikeouts in the contest.

S&T got its lone run in the third when Viox singled to begin the inning, moved up to second when Neal was hit by a pitch  and scored following two passed balls.  The Miners had threats in the sixth and seventh when they had two on base with one out, but was unable to capitalize on either opportunity.

Viox had two hits to lead S&T, who also finished with five hits.