ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Softball (18-3) opened its home schedule Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of Augustana at Griffon Softball Field. MoWest claimed a 9-8 victory in game one before rallying for a dramatic 4-3 walk-off win in game two.
Game 1: MoWest 9 Augustana 8
MWSU jumped out to an early lead, scoring five runs in the first inning with RBI hits from Myah Dwyer and Ashlyn Finarty while also capitalizing on Augustana errors.
Augustana responded in the second inning with a two-run double to trim the deficit to 5-2 and continued its rally in the third. A wild pitch brought home a run before another two-run double tied the game at 5-5.
The Griffons regained the lead in the fourth inning when Finarty delivered an RBI single to right field to score Ayva McComas. MoWest added insurance in the fifth when Sienna Reed launched a two-run home run to left field, scoring Rachel Cain to push the lead to 8-5.
Augustana cut the deficit to 8-6 in the sixth, but the Griffons answered in the bottom half as Reed delivered an RBI single to center field to score Morgan Byrd and extend the lead to 9-6. The Vikings made one final push in the seventh with two runs, but Torie Sandoval closed the game to record the save while Harley Pruetting improved to 7-0 in the circle.
Game 2: MoWest 4 Augustana 3
Augustana struck first in the second inning after a stolen base helped set up an unearned run to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead.
The Griffons answered in the bottom of the inning when Finarty tied the game with a solo home run. Sophie Johnson later gave MoWest its first lead of the game in the fifth inning with a solo homer to make it 2-1.
Augustana regained the lead in the seventh with a two-run home run to move ahead 3-2. In the bottom of the inning, MoWest rallied as McComas delivered a walk-off double to left center that scored both Giddens and Brooklynn Clark to secure the 4-3 victory.
What's Next
Griffon Softball hosts Minnesota State Moorhead for a doubleheader Thursday, March 12 at Griffon Softball Field. First pitch is set for 12 p.m., with game two scheduled for 2 p.m.
