Joplin, Mo. - For the first time since 2011 the Missouri Southern Softball Lions have notched 14 MIAA wins in a season with their 4-0 game two win at Lindenwood Saturday afternoon at the Lou Brock Sports Complex.
Game two was all Southern (25-26, 14-8 MIAA) as freshman Mikaela Cox pitched a complete game shut out allowing just three Lindenwood (20-21, 8-12) hits. Junior Abi Corbett scored two of Southern's four runs while going 3-for-3 at the plate with a RBI. Sophomore Ashley Caldarella and junior Shelby Friend each finished 2-for-4 at the dish while junior Myranda Stewart and senior Sarah Morrison each driving in a run.
Southern jumped out early in the "night cap" with Corbett working a lead off walk then stealing second before freshman Elizabeth Windsor moved her to third on a ground out. Stewart scored Corbett on a sacrifice fly to deep center for the 1-0 lead. The Green & Gold tacked on two more in the top of the second with a RBI single through the left side from Morrison that scored Caldarella and Corbett connected on a RBI double down the left field line to score freshman Erika Lutgen to make it 3-0.
It would stay 3-0 until the top of the seventh when Corbett led off with a single to short. After advancing to second on an error by the Lindenwood catcher, Corbett went to third on an infield single from Windsor to put runners on the corners with no one out. Corbett and Windsor successfully completed a double steal that accounted for the fourth run, and the swipe of home put Corbett at 71 stolen bases for her career just seven back of third place on the MSSU All-Time list.
In the opening game of the double header Lindenwood used a five run fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead but Southern battled back with three runs in the fifth on a RBI bunt single from Stewart, a sacrifice bunt from Friend that scored Windsor on an error by the Lindenwood second baseman, and sophomore Angel Badalamenti's bases loaded hit by pitch.
With the score at 6-3 Southern managed to tie the game in the top of the sixth with another three runs. Two runs came on Stewart's double down the right field line and Lutgen scored Stewart on a ground out to tie the game at 6-6. Lindenwood got a runner on in the bottom of the seventh but sophomore Taurean Guzman got the next batter to pop up to end the inning and force extras.
In the eighth Southern had runners on first and third with two outs but Lindenwood's Stormee Galka got Lutgen to pop up to the first baseman to end the threat. In the home half, Lindenwood went 1-2-3 to send it to the ninth.
The ninth saw the roles reversed as Southern went 1-2-3 and Lindenwood threatened with a lead off single up the middle and then sacrificed to second, but Guzman got the next two batters out with a pop up to sophomore Kylie Wesbrooks and a ground ball to Wesbrooks to end the ninth.
In the tenth the international tie breaker came into play and once again Southern had runners on the corners with one out but couldn't get the run across. Lindenwood was able to get the runner from second to cross the plate on a ingle to right by Morgan Brown to halt the Missouri Southern winning streak at six.
Senior Sydney Koch got the start in game one going three innings allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits with a walk and a strike out. Koch also faced the first two batters in the fourth innings. Guzman came in the fourth and pitched six and a third in relief allowing four runs, two earned, on 10 hits with two walks and three strike outs.
On the day Southern tallied 25 hits with Corbett leading the way with seven and Windsor added five. Stewart once again led Southern in the RBI category with four for the teams' eight RBIs. Stewart also had two of Southern's four extra base hits with a pair of doubles.
For the weekend, Corbett led the offensive attack with a .722 (13-for-18) batting average. Corbett entered the week ranked third in all of NCAA D-2 in hits with 74. Stewart finished the weekend hitting .588 with a .706 slugging percentage and 11 RBIs.
Cox was the highlight of the weekend inside the circle with the three hit shut out of Lindenwood but Guzman finished with a 0.98 ERA in 14 and a third innings of work in three appearances allowing just two earned runs with six strike outs.
Southern will be back in action next weekend as they close out the regular season with Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State at home. Friday's double header with league leading UCO is scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Pat Lipira Softball Complex with Saturday's senior day action against Northeastern State slated to start at noon.
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