ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — After the cancelation of their annual home tournament and scheduling of an impromptu home opener, Griffon Softball treated their fans to a two-game sweep of Benedictine on Wednesday at the Spring Sports Complex.
GAME 1
Missouri Western 9, Benedictine 1 (seven innings)
Once Missouri Western worked its way through two quiet innings, the Griffons let loose in the bottom of both the third and fourth inning, scoring three runs apiece.
Mackenzie DeVine got the scoring started with an RBI single in the third, allowing
Abby Dickey to advance home. After Benedictine bounced back with a run in the top of the fourth,
Rian Gere put the Griffons into fifth gear, ripping a triple to left field to bring home
Bubba Hoelscher.
Missouri Western padded its lead with RBI hits by
Sydni Hawkins, Devine and Hoelscher throughout the next two innings. With the Griffons up 7-1 in the sixth,
Kaylea Fessler put the game to rest with a two-run home run to left field, giving MWSU the walk-off, run-rule win.
GAME 2
Missouri Western 9, Benedictine 4
The Griffons' (14-5) momentum carried on into the later contest, with MWSU pouncing early. With six runs scored throughout the first three innings, the Griffons' hot start featured a five-run second, highlighted by RBI doubles from
Taylor Bristol and
Ashlyn Hoeft. The Ravens (9-12) made things interesting with runs the third and fourth to make the score 6-2, but more Griffon small ball capped by a
Liz Vaupel RBI single in the fourth allowed the Griffons to glide to victory.
NOTABLES
- Pitcher Sam Pederson struck out five Ravens and walked zero batters in game one, doing so the second time in her last three games.
- Pitcher Harley Pruetting gave up one earned run, only giving up three earned runs in her last four outings.
- Hawkins went 3-for-3 with one RBI and three runs scored in game two. She has two hits or more in 12 out of 19 games this season.
UP NEXT
The homestand continues on Saturday with another doubleheader vs. Wayne State on at 2 and 4 p.m. at the Spring Sports Complex. The Wildcats have lost four of their last five, beating Kentucky Wesleyan 8-0 last Friday in Clermont, Florida, closing out a 3-7 showing at the NTC Spring Games.
