(BENTONVILLE, Ark.) – Jennies softball (4-4) split a pair of games on day one of the UAM 7-State Classic Friday afternoon in Bentonville, falling to Henderson State in game one 4-3 and winning game two against Southern Arkansas, 8-3.
In game one against the Reddies of Henderson State the Jennies let a late 3-1 lead slip away.
Henderson State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third before Ashlea Bengtson hit her second home run of the season to knot the game up at one in the top of the fourth. The Jennies then took a 2-1 lead later in the inning after Jakki Prater scored on an error by the Reddies.
The Jens extended the lead to 3-1 in the top of the fifth when Jill Lucas hit a perfectly placed sacrifice bunt into play scoring Braylyn Bivens.
Henderson State answered the bottom half of the inning though, plating a single run to pull within one heading into the sixth.
The Jennies could not take advantage of a single and a stolen base in the top of the sixth and went into the bottom of the inning with a 3-2 lead.
Henderson State took advantage of two singles and a Jenny error to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth, delivering a single to score the tying run. The Reddies then took a 4-3 lead after a UCM passed ball and held the Jennies scoreless the top of the seventh to seal the come-from-behind win.
Jennies pitcher Katie Shockley took the loss to drop her record in the circle to 1-2 on the season while Kasey Carlock earned the win for Henderson State. The Jennies and the Reddies each had seven hits in the contest.
The Jennies started off game two against the Southern Arkansas Muleriders with a bang, plating three runs in the bottom of the first after Lucas blasted a home run to center for the early 3-0 lead.
The bottom of the second saw the Jens add four more runs to extend the lead to 7-0. The Jens got the opening run of the inning after Prater drove in Ali Jo Rogers on a fielder’s choice. Bengtson then plated another pair of runs, scoring Prater and Bivens before Alex Groeger sent a double down the left field line to drive in Lucas.
The Muleriders scored their first run in the top of the fifth but the Jennies answered right back in the bottom half of the inning on a single by Emily Bybee-King, scoring Groeger to increase the lead to 8-3.
The Jennies defense clamped down the remainder of the contest, allowing only two Southern Arkansas runs to seal the 8-3 victory.
Prater picked up the win in the circle for the Jennies, pitching a complete game and striking out six to improve her record to 2-1 on the season. Taylor Clifton took the loss for Southern Arkansas.
The Jennies outhit the Muleriders 10-7 in the game and both teams did not commit an error.