(ST. CLOUD, Minn.) – Central Missouri softball picked up its second straight win on Thursday night, scoring six runs in the final two innings to rally for a walk-off win over Concordia-St. Paul. The win moves the Jens to 4-3 on the season and 2-1 at the St. Cloud State Kelly Laas Memorial Invitational.
The Golden Bears struck first scoring three in the third inning off of starter Jessica Wilkes who was making her season debut. Concordia could have gotten more, but on a bases-loaded double, the Jennies executed a perfect relay to nab a runner at the plate. Concordia added another run in the top of the fourth to make it a 4-0 game.
UCM finally got on the board in the bottom half of the fourth due to a Golden Bears misplay, cutting the lead in half to 4-2.
The scored remained 4-2 until the sixth inning when Concordia stretched the lead back to four, 6-2, scoring on an error and a sacrifice fly. The Jennies got one back in the bottom half of the frame on an Emily King RBI ground out then two more when pinch hitter Katie Giacone lifted one over the fence for a two-run homer, her first as a Jennie.
Concordia tacked on in seventh with an RBI single, extending the lead to 7-5. However, in the bottom of the inning, the Jennies scored three runs on five hits, getting RBI singles from Giacone, Makayla Schoonover and Alex Leonhart to walk-off with the win, 8-7.
Senior Jakki Prater earned her second victory of the day, coming on in relief to pitch 3.2 innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs while striking out four and walking one. Wilkes went the first 3.1 innings surrendering 10 hits and four earned runs, striking out three and walking a pair.
Giacone drove in a team-best three runs with her home-run and single in two plate appearances. Senior Amanda Nally was 2-for-3 and scored a game-high three runs.
UCM has a pair of games remaining in St. Cloud. Friday evening they face off with Augustana (S.D.) and Wayne State in back-to-back games scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.