Quincy Box
Score | Rockhurst Box Score
| Fort Hays Box
Score
Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern softball
team took two out of three games today in day two of the MSSU/PSU
Border Battle at the Four Seasons Sports Complex in Joplin.
Southern defeated both Qunicy (5-4) and Rockhurst (5-1) before
falling to conference rival Fort Hays, 9-3.
The Lions (3-7) fell down 3-0 after two and a half innings in
the opener today to Quincy, before Southern answered back with a
run in the third when Dawn Grass doubled home Kelli Bax. After
another Quincy run in the top of the fifth, the Lions stormed back
and shut the door with four runs in the bottom half of the inning,
highlighted by a three-run homer from Megan Roark to dead center.
Jessica Brooks preceded the home run with an RBI double down the
left field line scoring Bax.
Roark went 2-3 with a run and three RBIs on the big blast. Grass
and Bax had two hits each with Bax scoring twice. Tiffany Bennett
threw seven innings, striking out five and allowing just one earned
run.
In game two, Whitney Clute started and scattered seven hits in a
complete game win against Rockhurst. The Lions scored two runs in
the second when Clute doubled to start the inning. Kim Diaz pinch
ran for Clute and scored on an RBI single from Natalie Nelson,
while Roark added another run on a wild pitch.
Southern picked up three more runs in the fourth when
back-to-back doubles from Lauren Hasty and Nelson scored hasty.
Walks to Bax and Krista Bomak loaded the bases for Angie Turner who
drove home both Nelson and Bax with a single up the middle.
Bomak was a perfect 3-3 at the plate against Rockhurst, while
Nelson had two hits, a run and two RBIs. Four other Lions had a hit
each, while Turner drove in two.
In the day's finale, the Lions jumped out on top with a run in
the bottom of the first after Roark singled home Bax.
Hays, however, answered with three runs in the third, a single
run in each of the fifth and sixth and four more in the seventh,
before the Lions scored two in the seventh on RBI singles from
Grass and Roark.
Kayce Moore started for the Lions and went two and two thirds,
while Bax threw three and a third and Bennett pitched the final
inning.
Roark went 3-4 with two RBIs, while Grass and Volkmann had the
Lions other two hits.
Southern finishes off the tournament tomorrow with games against
Southeastern Oklahoma and Drury.
