Emporia, Kan. – The Missouri Southern softball team scored a huge two-run win in game two on the day against No. 10 Minnesota State (13-11) after battling No. 7 Winona State in a 2-1 extra-innings loss to lead off the Emporia State Softball Classic Friday afternoon.
Game 1
Freshman pitcher
Natalie Hamm played 7 1/3 innings of shutout ball until the eighth when the Warriors of Winona State (18-2) tacked on two runs off of two singles for the first runs of the game.
Southern (10-15) responded with its first run in the bottom of half, but could not get the tying run across home plate in the loss.
Five players for Southern had a hit, including a triple by
Shelby Friend to deep right field as the wind picked up throughout the morning.
Game 2
The Lions jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one, but the Mavericks of Minnesota State rallied back to pour in six runs in the second, including a three-run shot to straightaway center field which brought them to within one.
Minnesota State (16-5) received another bomb, this time to right field to create a three-run cushion or so they thought.
Shortstop
Angel Badalamenti came up to the plate with a runner on and smoked one to cut the deficit to one. They then added another one later in the inning to tie the ball game up at 8-8. Badalamenti began another outburst by singling the go ahead run which led to three more runs in the fifth, followed by a
Lexi Ferrari home run to extend the Lions lead to four (13-9) going into the seventh.
The Mavericks tried to muscle a comeback by plating two runners with two outs, but pitcher
Taurean Guzman got the much needed ground ball for the final out of the game for the team's second win over a ranked opponent this season. Guzman went three innings and allowed only two earned runs to secure the game-two victory.
First baseman
Erika Lutgen accumulated a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with three runs scored and an RBI. Ferrari added a 3-for-5 line and scored three runs as well. Badalamenti and Friend both registered 2-for-3 stands against UMS for a combined five runs scored and five RBIs.
Up Next
Softball heads into day two with a pair of matchups against Augustana (SD) and Minnesota Duluth starting tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m.