WICHITA, KS. – A busy Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association road weekend ended on a bit of high note Saturday, March 23.
 
Head coach Joe Yegge's Missouri Western squad, rebounding from a pair of losses to ninth-ranked Central Oklahoma that included a one-run thriller, got things going early in game one of a twin bill against Newman University. Freshman first baseman Ashlyn Finarty (Knoxville, Iowa) belted a run-scoring double in the first Griffons' plate attempt that started off a six-run, 13-hit attack. Finarty led a strong plate uprising by the visiting underclasswomen group, as sophomore infielders Myah Dwyer (St. Joseph, Mo.) and Kalee Higdon (Gretna, Neb.) also tallied two-hit outings. Junior outfielder Mackenzie Devine (Gretna, Neb.) led the way with three safeties and drove in three runs.
 
The Griffon scoreboard totals were more than enough for senior pitcher Sydney Rader. The Norfolk, Neb., native handcuffed the Jets to one run on four hits while striking out four. Rader's victory moved her into double figures to mark the third season she has done so.
 
Seeking a Saturday sweep, MWSU was thwarted in the nightcap. Newman jumped out to a 6-0 lead and didn't look during a 7-1 win. Finarty closed out a four-hit afternoon with two more.
 
Missouri Western (19-9 overall, 5-3 MIAA) continues its current road skein Tuesday, March 26. The Griffons visit Kirksville, Mo., for a doubleheader against Truman State University. The non-conference meeting begins at 1 p.m.