Wichita, Kan. - The Missouri Southern softball program swept Newman 4-0, 4-2 in a conference doubleheader at the NU Softball Field on Saturday, Apr. 29th to set up a regular season title deciding double header against Central Oklahoma.
The Lions (36-9, 21-3 MIAA) were led by
Josie Tofpi in game one going 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Abby DeSanto,
Adrianna Young and
Leighton Withers also finished with two hits each.
Bailey Lacy started and struck out four in 5.0 innings for her 12th win of the season and
Avery Tallman came in to pitch the final 2.0 innings and collect her first save of the season.
Neither team was able to get a run across in the early innings of the game with Southern getting on the board in the fifth inning following a Tofpi two RBI triple and a Withers RBI double to make it a 3-0 lead. In the seventh inning
Ashlynn Williams doubled home Tofpi to give the Lions a 4-0 final score and help break a program record for MIAA wins in a season that was set in the 2021 season.
Southern was led by
Emily Perry in game two going 2-for-3 with two RBIs as
Yazmin Vargas also finished with two hits and scored a run.
Kara Amos picked up the win after 4.2 innings of relief in the circle with three strikeouts and
Natalie Bates struck out two in 2.1 innings for a no decision.
Unlike the first game the Lions and Jets scored early with a Jets error in the first inning allowing Vargas to score before Newman (16-38, 4-20 MIAA) scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning. In the second inning Perry hit a two RBI double to right field and an error by the Jets again allowed
Sidnie Hurst to score as the Lions reach cruising altitude and blasted off to a 4-2 win to claim the sweep.
Up next for Southern will be the fifth ranked Bronchos of Central Oklahoma in a decisive double header on Sunday, Apr. 30th with the regular season conference title on the line at the Gerry Pinkston Stadium with both program entering the games having identical 21-3 conference records.
