By JASON KETZ
Sports Editor
(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — The Jennies softball team traveled to St. Cloud, Minnesota for the Kelly Laas Memorial Softball Invitational this past weekend. Unlike most conventional softball tournaments that are played outdoors, this particular tournament was held at the Husky Dome on the campus of St. Cloud State.

The Jennies finished the four-day tournament with a record of 2-3, which featured four other teams from the MIAA and five teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, including host school St. Cloud State University.

“It is a different perspective,” said Susan Anderson, Jennies head softball coach. “We went to this tournament last year so we had an idea of what to expect but it’s very different than playing outside on the dirt.”

Jennies bats silent in 6-0 loss

Game one of the tournament the Jennies struggled offensively due to the performance of Minnesota State-Mankato’s starting pitcher Coley Ries, who threw a complete-game shutout allowing just two hits and striking out 11. The Mavericks got on the board first with a run in the first inning, before scoring three runs in the second inning and adding two more in the sixth. Senior shortstop Ali Jo Rogers and junior third baseman Emily King were the only two Jennies with hits in the game.

“We kind of fell short on the offensive side,” Anderson said. “Defensively, we hurt ourselves a couple of times which allowed them to get more runs that what we should have.”

Jennies fell short to Concordia-St. Paul 6-2

In their second game of the day, the Jennies faced the Golden Bears who got out to an early 3-0 lead after the first inning, but the Jennies responded with a run in the second inning from King who tripled down the third base line that scored sophomore Makayla Schoonover from first base. Senior Alex Leonhart drove in the second run of the inning for the Jennies, but the Golden Bears had another three-run inning in the fifth.

Johnson blanks Huskies in win

In the second day of the tournament, UCM matched up against host school St. Cloud State. The Jennies got on the board in the first inning when a stolen base from Schoonover forced a wild throw that scored Rogers from third base. Leonhart followed up with an RBI double to extend the lead 2-0, which was enough run support for freshman pitcher Jordan Johnson who threw a complete game, six-hit shutout. The Jennies added another run in the fourth when Rogers laid down a sacrifice bunt that scored sophomore Katie Giacone from third.

Anderson said that Johnson’s performance was probably the best pitching performance of her career and she did a great job of working with Jennies catcher Allie Dishinger to keep the ball low and mix her pitches.

Robinson dominates No. 20 Vikings in 1-0 win

The Jennies’ next game paired them with No. 20 Augustana of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This game was tightly contested until the bottom of the sixth inning, when freshman pitcher Emily Robinson singled Schoonover home for the game’s only run. Robinson threw a complete-game shutout allowing six hits and striking out two.

Anderson said Robinson has been her go-to pitcher right now.

“Not only is she getting it done in the circle, but she is also one of our better hitters,” Anderson said. ”She has been a big difference maker for our team.”

Robinson was recently named MIAA Pitcher of the Week for her performance at the Arkansas-Montecello Eight State Classic on Feb. 12-13 where she threw 14 innings, allowing zero earned runs and striking out 11.

Mustangs edge out UCM 9-7

The Jennies last game of the tournament came against Southwest Minnesota State where the lead changed five times in the game. The Mustangs scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Jennies responded in the top half of the second as King hit her second RBI triple of the tournament, followed by a single from Dishinger, which tied the score at two. But the lead didn’t hold, as the Mustangs scored three runs in the bottom of the second to re-take the lead 5-2.

UCM quickly responded back in the top of the third with an RBI single from Mabe, an RBI sacrifice fly from Leonhart and another RBI single from King would tie the score yet again at five apiece. Southwest would re-take the lead in the fourth with a single run, but the Jennies took their first lead of the game in the fifth inning when Leonhart drove in a run, followed by an RBI single from Rogers. But in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Mustangs scored three runs, which proved to be the difference as the final score was 9-7 Southwest Minnesota State.

“There are lots of fight in this group,” Anderson said. “We definitely saw really great performances, and we got to see a glimpse of how good we can be, and I think that is what’s lighting the fire under us, so we can try to get to that level on a consistent basis.”

The Jennies will start regular season MIAA play on March 4 in a double-header on the road against Fort Hays State. First pitch for game one is scheduled for noon.