Joplin, Mo. - Following up their sweep over Missouri Western Friday night, the Missouri Southern Softball Lions swept Northwest Missouri 7-0 and 5-1 Saturday afternoon at the Pat Lipira Softball Complex.
Southern jumped out early in the opening game to put pressure on league leading Northwest Missouri (21-13, 10-4 MIAA) with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI ground by by junior Shelby Friend and another run on a single by sophomore Ashley Caldarella. The score stayed at 2-0 until the bottom of the fourth when junior Myranda Stewart singled home sophomore Kylie Wesbrooks, who reached on a single to left to lead off the inning, to make it 3-0.
The Lions added another run in the home half of the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Wesbrooks that scored Caldarella to make it 4-0. The sixth inning saw a pitching change for the Bearcats but Southern welcomed the new hurler with back-to-back infield singles from junior Abi Corbett and freshman Elizabeth Windsor. After a fly out to center, Friend singled to center to score Corbett to make it 5-0 Lions. The Bearcats' center fielder's throw home was cut off by the new pitcher who then fired a rocket back towards second, to try and pick off Windsor, but the ball sailed wide right and traversed all the way back to the fence allowing both Windsor and Friend to score to make it 7-0.
Senior Sydney Koch (9-8) one again pitched a gem as she held the top team in the MIAA scoreless while facing just one batter over the minimum. Koch allowed just three hits while striking out three and walking none.
In game two it looked like it was going to be a pitcher's duel as the first two and a half innings went by with just one hit for each team. The Lions pounced in the home half of the third with a pair of runs on a double to center by Stewart that scored Windsor and Corbett. Northwest Missouri, feeling the pressure, pushed the issue in the top of the fourth after a one out double down the left field line by Kaitlyn Weis and with two outs Weis tried to score on a single to left but Windsor gunned her down at the plate by a couple of steps to end the inning.
Northwest did get on the board in the fifth with a sacrifice fly to cut the Lions' lead in half to 2-1. Southern got that run back and added a couple of insurance runs in the bottom half of the inning when senior Sarah Morrison led off with a seeing eye single through the left side of the NWMSU infield. Corbett moved Morrison to second on a sacrifice bunt and Windsor advanced her to third on a single to the third baseman. However, the throw from the third baseman was wide left of the bag and allowed Morrison to score. Stewart singled to center for her third hit of the day to put runners on first and second with one out. Following a pop fly out, freshman Erika Lutgen connected on the first pitch she saw for a double to right center that scored both Stewart and Windsor for the 5-1 victory.
Sophomore Taurean Guzman (9-9) went the distance allowing one run, earned, on six this and walked three.
The game one win over Northwest was the first win since 2013 and the sweep of the Bearcats was the first since 2012. This was the first time since Dr. Pat Lipira's final year coaching The Green & Gold that the Lions swept both Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western in the same season.
Southern will be back in action next weekend, April 14th and 15th, as they travel to Lincoln and Lindenwood. The double header against the Blue Tigers (5-31, 2-12 MIAA) in Jefferson City is scheduled for 2 p.m. while the Saturday double header at Lindenwood (15-18, 4-10 MIAA) is scheduled to start at noon.
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