ST. JOSEPH, MO -- Missouri S&T lost two close games against Missouri Western today, falling 0-2 and 5-6.
Mia Miller (Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) reached 115 strikeouts with her three strikeout performance in game one, setting a new S&T record for most strikeouts by a freshman pitcher.
Game 1: Missouri Western 2, Missouri S&T 0
Game one was a match up of elite pitchers, with neither team recording a hit in the first three half innings. MWSU's Myah Dwyer was the first to record a hit in the game, sending a single to right field. She would steal both second and third before being left stranded when
Mia Miller (Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) picked up the third out of the inning with a looking strikeout.
The Griffons would grab another hit in the bottom of the 3rd, but their first run would not come until the 5th after a hit by pitch set them up with a runner on base who would make it home on a sacrifice fly. A single by
Kaylee LaChappell (Oswego, IL/) in the top of the 6th was the first hit of the day for the Miners. The Miners would get their second hit of the day in the top of the 7th while trailing 2-0. The single by
Tori Thompson (Chandler, AZ/) would not be enough on it's own though, with the Miners unable to bring a runner home to fall 2-0 in the first game.
Game 2: Missouri Western 6, Missouri S&T 5 (8 innings)
The teams combined for only one hit in the first two innings, but the Miners were the first to get on the board this time, getting singles from LaChappell and
Trista Grobe (DeSoto, MO/DeSoto) to bring a run home in the top of the 3rd. MWSU responded in the bottom of the 3rd, getting a lead off single and two sac bunts to set up a tying run off a sac fly.
Singles from
Allie Kelly (Park Hills, MO/Central) and MacKenzie Shields put runners on first and second for the Miners in the 4th, but both would be left stranded on a line out to left field. The Griffons took their first lead of the game in the 5th and extended it in the 6th, scoring on a 2 RBI double to right center and adding another run off a throwing error by the Miners
Trailing 4-1, the Miners offense found their groove in the top of the 7th, getting doubles from LaChappell and Grobe along with singles from
Keira Jones (Richmond Hill, GA/Richmond Hill) and Thompson to tie the game at 4-4. The game would go on to an 8th inning after the Griffons failed to score in the 7th, with the international runner rule being observed. The Miners were able to bring one home in the top of the 8th, but the Griffons responded with two in the bottom of the inning to take the 6-5 victory over S&T.
LaChappell led the Miners in hitting today, going 3-for-8 with 2 runs and an RBI, while Grobe went 2-for-2 with an RBI at the plate in game two.
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