(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – University of Central Missouri Jennies Softball (23-19, 13-11 MIAA) earned a hard-fought doubleheader split against the 18th-ranked Fort Hays State University Tigers (38-8, 18-4 MIAA) Sunday afternoon at the South Recreation Complex.
The Tigers won the opener 7-0 behind pitcher Maddie Holub’s one-hitter before the Jennies offense came alive game two for a 10-2, run-rule victory. The twin bill against the Tigers marked the final home doubleheader of the season for the Jennies.
In game one, the Jennies were not able to get a hit until the bottom of the seventh inning when Jakki Prater hit a two-out double to right. The Tigers, meanwhile, plated runs in the second (5) and fourth (2) innings to earn the 7-0 win.
The Tigers outhit the Jennies 13-1 in game one. Holub went 3-of-4 with two home runs and three runs batted in at the plate to lead Fort Hays State. She struck out 12 and walked one to earn the win in the circle and move to 22-1 on the season.  Megan Schallom was the tough luck loser for the Jennies, dropping her record to 2-6 overall.
The Jennies bats came alive early in game two. Prater got the scoring going in the bottom of the first after she hit a home run down the left field line, scoring three runs for the 3-0 lead.
The Jennies added four more runs in the bottom of the second. Braylyn Bivens singled to shortstop scoring Ali Jo Rogers before Emily Bybee-King grounded-out to short, driving in Ashlea Bengtson. Prater then stepped to the plate and hit her second round-tripper of the game, a towering shot to dead centerfield, to score Bivens and increase the lead to 7-0.
The Jennies made it 8-0 in the bottom of the third when Bengtson scored on a FHSU error.
The Tigers cut the lead to 8-2 in the top of the fourth, scoring a run on a UCM wild pitch and another on an error.
The Jennies extended the advantage to 10-2 in the bottom of the fourth, plating two runs on Bybee-King’s home run to left-centerfield.
Jessica Wilkes then pitched a 1-2-3 top of the fifth to invoke the five inning run-rule and give the Jens the 10-2 win.
Prater paced the UCM offense in game two, going 2-for-3 at the plate, hitting her fifth and sixth homers of the season to drive in five runs. Bybee-King added three RBIs on her third home run of the season and ground-out while Bivens also had an RBI and stole two bases, respectively.
As a team, the Jennies outhit the Tigers 12-1 in game two.
Wilkes earned the win in the circle for the Jennies, pitching her sixth complete game of the season. She struck out one and didn’t allow an earned run to improve her record to 6-2 on the season. Paxton Duran took the loss for the Tigers, dropping her to 14-7 overall.
The Jennies return to the diamond Friday, April 26 when they travel to Joplin, Mo. to face Missouri Southern in an MIAA doubleheader. First pitch from Lea Kungle Field is set for 4 p.m.