St. Joseph, Mo. - The Missouri Southern Softball Lions split their opening games of the Hy-Vee Classic hosted by Missouri Western State University at the Heritage Softball Complex Friday afternoon.
Game One
In the first game of the day Southern used a nine run second inning to defeat the University of Sioux Falls 11-8. In that inning freshman Erika Lutgen got things going with a leadoff single back up the middle and moved to third on a double by junior Myranda Stewart. Freshman Emily Harris singled home Lutgen, to make it 1-0, and stole second on freshman Kaycee Hodgson's at bat. Senior Sarah Morrison singled to left to score Stewart before Harris was thrown out at third. With two outs, junior Abi Corbett and sophomore Ashley Caldarella had back-to-back singles to load the bases for sophomore Angel Badalamenti. Badalamenti singled to right on a 1-1 count and scored Morrison and Corbett to make the score 4-0. Junior Shelby Friend drew a two out walk with runners on the corners to load the bases again before Lutgen had a RBI walk to give the Lions a 5-0 lead. Stewart stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and promptly sent a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall to make it 9-0.
Sioux Falls got two runs back in the top of the third on a three hits and two Southern errors. In the top of the fourth USF made a game out of it scoring six more runs on five hits with one Southern error to cut the lead to 9-8. The Cougars scored on a single to center, single back to the pitcher, an throwing error, and a three run double. But that was the closest Sioux Falls would get.
In the home half of the sixth the Lions added two insurance runs on a single through the right side by Stewart that scored Badalamenti and a single to center by Harris that scored Friend.
For the game Lutgen was 3-for-3 at the plate with a RBI and a walk while Stewart finished the game 3-for-4 with the grand slam and a double to go with her five RBIs. Badalamenti and Harris each had two RBIs and both went 2-for-4 at the plate. Corbett also finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate and scored a run.
Freshman Mikaela Cox got the start for the Lions going three innings, she faced five batters in the fourth inning with out retiring a batter. Cox allowed seven runs, five earned, on six hits with two walks and one strike out. Sophomore Taurean Guzman pitched four innings in relief for the win allowing just one run, unearned, on four hits with three strike outs to just one walk.
Game Two
In the last game of the day Augustana (S.D.) got on the board first in the home half of the second with three runs on four hits, all three runs came on a home run to straight away center. The Vikings added two more runs in the third on a throwing error and also scored on a run down play to make it 5-0. The bottom of the fourth was a led off with a solo home run for Augustana to make it 6-0.
Southern scored two in the top half of the sixth with a laser shot off the Viking third baseman by Caldarella that scored Hodgson and Morrison. Augustana answered back in the home half of the inning with back-to-back RBI singles to make it 8-2 Vikings.
The Lions cut the lead in half in the top of the sixth on a double down the left field line by Harris that scored Stewart from first and Lutgen. Augustana's Sarah Kennedy sent a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall to make the final score 10-4.
Guzman got the start for the Lions in the circle going five innings and allowing eight earned runs on 13 hits and struck out three. Cox pitched an inning in relief and held the Vikings score less after coming in after the first two batters in the sixth.
Stewart and Morrison had a multi hit game wit Stewart going 2-for-3 and Morrison 2-for-2. Harris and Caldarella each had two RBIs for the Lions to account for all four Southen runs.
On The Day
Morrison finished the day 3-for-4 (.750) at the plate wth two runs scored, a RBI, and an on base percentage of .800. Stewart led the team in Slugging percentage, 1.286, extra base hits, two, home runs, one, RBIs, five, and finished with an on base percentage of .714. Lutgen went 3-for-6 (.667) at the dish with three runs scored while Corbett rounded out the hitters above .500 with a 4-for-8 performance.
Up Next
The Lions are back in action on day two of the Hy-Vee Classic with games against Wayne (Neb.) State at noon and Minnesota-Duluth at 4 p.m.
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