Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Missouri Western Softball is one of three remaining teams in the MIAA Tournament after eliminating Emporia State and Northwest Missouri State Friday. The Griffons survive to play the loser of the Pittsburg State, Central Missouri game at approximately 5 p.m.
GAME 1: MWSU 3, Emporia State 1 (9 innings)Janie Smith was brilliant and the Griffon offense came alive late to eliminate the sixth seeded Hornets in extra innings.
Smith did not allow a hit until the leadoff batter in the sixth, which eventually became the tying run. An RBI single in the sixth was the Hornets' second hit of the game and knotted the teams at one apiece. In the ninth, a
Morgan Rathmann double down the left field line brought
Brooke Schaben and
Shelbie Atwell home to give MWSU a 3-1 lead that Smith held in the bottom half of the inning for her 17
th win of the season.
An injury to
Shyanne Saladino left the Griffons with little choice to ride Smith out for the entire tournament. Starting her third straight game, Smith pitched all nine innings, holding ESU to six hits and one run with five strikeouts and two walks. Rathmann was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, including her MWSU record breaking, ninth triple of the season. She went 3-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Paige Shifflett finished 2-4 as did
Shelbie Atwell.
Rebekah Mueller was 2-3.
GAME 2: MWSU 10, Northwest Missouri State 3It was all Missouri Western in the sixth matchup of the two teams this season. The Griffons pounded out 14 hits, including four doubles and two home runs.
Tiffany Gillaspy moved into second on the MWSU career home run list with the 38
th of her career. Her two-run shot in the first put the Griffons up 2-0. Northwest tied the game at three with two in the fourth but a four-run fifth by MWSU broke the game open for the Griffons. MWSU got all four runs with two outs and all came off Kendle Schieber, who had nearly no-hit MWSU in the first game of the tournament. The four-run inning included an RBI double from
Kailey Green, three RBI singles, a
Sydney Washington home run and a ground out RBI from Klosterman.
Gillaspy finished the game 3-4 with two RBIs and Washington was 3-5 with two driven in. Mueller went 3-4 with two RBIs as well. Smith went all seven innings, giving up seven hits and three runs. She struck out five and walked one.
