(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – Central Missouri Jennies softball battled their opponent and the weather on their way to a sweep of Missouri S&T. The Jennies won game one 9-1 in six innings before a 20 minute delayed start of game one. The team’s only made it to the bottom of the first before lightning caused a much longer delay, this time of 45 minutes. The two teams came back out though, and Jennies needed to come-from-behind before taking game two- 12-10.
The wins brought the Jennies record to 20-8, tying the fastest they’ve reached the 20 win mark since 2009.
Katie Shockley and Jakki Prater picked up wins for the Jennies in the circle. Shockley threw a six inning complete game in the opener, allowing just an unearned run on four hits and struck out eight batters, her second highest total of the season.
The offense totaled 21 runs and 26 hits. Dawson powered a home run in game two and finished 4-for-7 with six runs and three RBI in the doubleheader.
Game One: UCM 9, Missouri S&T 1 – 6 inn.
The Jennies jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, scoring two in the first and another in the second. Prater and Lauren Mabe picked up RBI’s in the first and the Jennies scored their third run on a Miner fielding error.
Missouri S&T got on a the board in the fourth, capitalizing on a Jennies miscue to close the gap to 3-1.
The score remained that way until the sixth. The Jennies broke out as the first five batters of the inning all reached base. When it was all said and done, 11 batters came to the plate in the inning. UCM scored six runs on five hits and won via the run rule. Amanda Nally and Carlie Rose picked up RBI hits in the inning. The Jens also scored two on bases-loaded walks from Dawson and Alex Leonhart and a sacrifice fly from Prater.
Game Two: UCM 12, Missouri S&T 10
Game two featured 22 runs and 23 hits in a back and forth affair. The lead also changed four times.
UCM picked up where they finished game one. After a lightning delay of 45 minutes, the Jennies stormed out scoring three in the opening frame. Prater and Rose picked up RBI doubles in the inning.
The Jennies doubled up, scoring three more in the second. Dawson had the big hit of the inning, crushing her second home run of the season over the left center field fence.
The 6-0 lead did not last very long as the Miners quickly evened up the score plating six in the top of the third. Miranda Thompson and Lori Badalamenti each had two-RBI hits in the inning.
The Jens went right back on top in the bottom of the inning, scoring a run on Nally’s double down the left field line.
Again, Missouri S&T had an answer, as they took their first lead, 9-7, scoring three runs in the fourth. Kyra Slemp and Cailey Baker had RBI singles and the Miners plated another on a fielding error.
Both teams tacked on a run and the Miners still held a two run lead, 10-8 going to the sixth. The Miners retired the first two hitters, but the next five Jennies all reached base as UCM put up a four-run two-out rally to retake the lead. Leonhart brought the Jens within a run with an RBI single and Nally put the Jens ahead for a good with a bases loaded single. All three Jennies scored on the hit, two thanks to Nally and another because of a fielding error in the outfield, putting UCM up two, 12-10.
The Miners brought the tying run to the plate with one out, but Prater was up to the task retiring the next two batters to seal the win.
Prater came on in relief and threw four innings allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts. She was also 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and two RBI.
Three Jennies had multiple RBI, led by Nally’s three.
UCM is back in action Friday, March 27 for the front-end of a home-and-home double-doubleheader with Southwest Baptist. The game’s in Warrensburg will be MIAA matchups and get underway at 2 p.m.