ROLLA, MO -- The Miners picked up two big wins against conference opponent William Jewell today, improving to 9-11 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
Tori Thompson (Chandler, AZ/) led the Miners' scoring efforts, recording 4 hits, 5 RBIs, and 2 runs in today's 6 at bats.
Game 1: Missouri S&T 7, William Jewell 1
Jewell started the game strong, hitting a solo home run in their first at bat to take the early 1-0 lead. S&T would respond in the bottom of the 2nd inning though, getting a single from
Taylor Nelson (Jefferson City, MO/Phillips Exeter Academy) to set up a two-run homer for
Tori Thompson (Chandler, AZ/). The Miners continued to pressure the Cardinals in the 2nd with a single and a walk leading to baserunners on second and third before a groundout ended the inning.
Nelson added to the Miners' lead in the bottom of the 3rd, hitting a two-run homer run to make it a 4-1 game. Next inning, singles from
Trista Grobe (DeSoto, MO/DeSoto) and Thompson drove in another three runs to extend S&T's lead to 7-1. After the opening home run for Jewell,
Mia Miller (Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) shut down the Cardinals' offense for the remainder of the game, only giving up two hits and a walk in the remaining 24 at bats to help the Miners hold on for a 7-1 victory in game one.
Game 2: Missouri S&T 4, William Jewell 3
The Cardinals made it to home plate again in the opening inning, this time recording two singles to bring a runner home and take a 1-0 lead. The Miners' response was quicker than in game one, this time matching Jewell's early run with one of their own in the bottom of the 1st on a sacrifice fly by Grobe. Still tied 1-1 in the bottom of the 2nd, Thompson continued her stellar day at the plate with a solo homer to left field.
Allie Kelly (Park Hills, MO/Central) would follow suite two at bats later, hitting a solo home run of her own to left field for her first home run of the season.
Each team would only record a single hit in the next two innings, allowing the Miners to maintain a 3-1 lead entering the top of the 5th. A walk and two singles loaded the bases for the Cardinals in the 5th with only one out on the board. A hit by pitch brought a runner home for Jewell in the next at bat, making it 3-2. However,
Julia Kanoy (Hamilton, Mo./Penney) would pick up a strikeout and a force a flyout to end the inning with the Miners still in front.
Keira Jones (Richmond Hill, GA/Richmond Hill) hit a lead off single short to center field to open the bottom of 5th, leading to a fielding error by the Cardinals' center fielder that allowed Jones to advance all the way to third. A successful bunt by
Kaylee LaChappell (Oswego, IL/) in the next at bat would give S&T runners on first and third with 0 outs. A sacrifice fly by
Sydney Anderson (Elkhart, IA/North Polk) would score Jones, returning the Miners lead to two at 4-2 before the inning ended with a fly out and a caught stealing. Later, Kanoy looked to have put the game away in the top of the 7th with groundouts in the first two at bats. A double and a single would score one for Jewell and threaten the Miners lead before a popout ended the game.
The Miners hit four home runs today, their most in a single day since they hit 5 on February 24th in wins against Missouri Western and Newman. Miller picked up 8 strikeouts in game one, becoming the first Miner freshman since 2017 to pass 100 strikeouts in a season.
What's Next
S&T faces Truman State at home tomorrow for Senior Day.
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