TOPEKA, Kan. — Have career-day, Chloe Armstrong.

Led by two home runs from their designated player, Griffon Softball smashed four solo shots on Friday afternoon vs. No. 4 seed Central Missouri, eliminating the Jennies with a 9-0 win at the Envista Softball Complex. The Griffons homered in four-straight innings, as Armstrong started it off with a dinger to center field in the top of the second. Kalee Higdon followed suit with her own moonshot to right-center field in the third.

An inning later in the fourth, Armstrong went back to work with a skyscraper to left field, giving the Griffons a 3-0 lead. Natalee Weber crushed the Griffons' final HR of the day in the fifth, a solo bomb to center field. Rian Gere kept the scoring going in the sixth, lacing a two-run double to right center to plate Mackenzie DeVine and Kylie DeHook. 

DeVine later scored on a wild pitch in the seventh, giving MWSU a 7-0 lead. After an RBI groundout by Maddie Swanson, Gere capped the scoring with a bases-loaded walk that brought home DeVine, rounding out the score at 9-0 in favor of the Griffs.

Pitcher Sam Pederson was phenomenal on Friday, pitching a complete-game shutout for the second time this season. Pederson fanned eight batters while only yielding three hits, ending Central Missouri's (33-21) season with a blank space on the scoreboard.

NOTABLES

• Armstrong's 4-for-4 day at the plate marks career-highs in hits and home runs (two). 
• Gere's three RBI ties a career-high.
• Missouri Western has now beaten UCM in six-straight games and is the lowest seed remaining the MIAA Tournament.

UP NEXT
The No. 6 seed Griffons (37-19) take on No. 2 seed Missouri Southern (37-12) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. back at the Envista Softball Complex. The No. 25-ranked Lions beat No. 5 seed Washburn on Friday night with a walk-off home run by Kara Amos.