Softball | 4/7/2012 11:10:00 PM
Game One Boxscore
Game Two Boxscore
April 7, 2012-The #20 Emporia State softball team clinched a share of their seventh MIAA regular season championship in the last eight years with a double header sweep of Pittsburg State on Saturday in Pittsburg. The Hornets won both games by run rule, taking an 11-3 win in game one and a 12-4 decision in game two.
The first three runners reached base for ESU in the matinee and Amanda Self gave the Hornets the lead with a two RBI double. Taylor Reichard drove in a third run with afielders choice as ESU took a 3-0 lead after half an inning. Stephanie Goodwin delivered a two out double in the second inning to make it 3-0 Hornets. ESU plated two more in the third on an RBI single from Kendra Gifford and RBI ground out by Jessica Gragg to give the Hornets a 6-0 lead.
Pitt State got on the board with an unearned run in the bottom of the third and cut the lead to 6-2 with a single run in the fourth. ESU then exploded for five runs on five hits in the top of the fifth. Taylor Zordel got a two run single and Gragg scored on a throwing error as Zordel stole second.Andrea Piezuch followed with an RBI single and Tricia Vogel wrapped up the scoring with an RBI double for an 11-2 lead. PSU got one run in the bottom of the fifth before Karley Schmelzer ended the game with a strikeout to pick up her 12th win.
Self was two for four with two doubles and two RBI in the first game, while Kendra Gifford went two for two with two runs, two stolen bases and an RBI. A day after recording her MIAA record third no hitter of the season, Schmelzer allowed three runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
In the nightcap the Hornets found themselves trailing for the first time in five games as Amanda DeCastro hit a two run homer in the bottom of the first. The Gorillas had ten base runners in the first two innings but left the bases loaded in both frames and only had a 2-0 lead going to the third inning. In the top of the third Goodwin tied the score with a two run double and Self drove her in with a single to take a 3-2 lead.
Lauren Sharp retired the Gorillas in order in the bottom of the third before the Hornets out another five spot up in the fourth inning. Jessica Brewer had a two RBI single before Goodwin connected on a three run homer to centerfield that gave the Hornets a 9-2 lead.
PSU got an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth, only to see ESU respond with four unearned runs of their own in the top of the fifth. With two outs Brewer hit a two run double and after an intentional walk to Goodwin, Vogel laced a single to center scoring two more and giving the Hornets a 12-3 lead. The Gorillas scored one run in the bottom of the fifth on a fielding error by Reichard but Gifford cut down Devon McReath at the plate on the play to end the inning and envoke the run rule.
Goodwin went three for three with five RBI, two runs, a double, homer and intentional walk while Brewer was two for four with four RBI and two runs scored to account for nine of ESU's 12 RBI in the game. Shapr allowed four runs, two of them earned, on seven hits with three walks and two strike outs to record her eighth win of hte year.
With the sweep, ESU secured a share of their seventh MIAA regular season championship in the last eight years and the top seed in the MIAA tournament set for April 26-28 in Overland Park, Kan. The next action for ESU is set for April 12 when they play host to St. Mary's (Texas) in non-conference action at the Trusler Sports Complex. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
NOTES:
ESU, at 18-0 in the MIAA, has a two game lead on Missouri Western with two conference games remaining and hold the tiebreaker over the Griffons by virtue of their double header sweep on March 25 at Trusler.
Since the MIAA went to a full round robin schedule in 1993 no team has gone undefeated in conference play. The last MIAA team to have an undefeated conference season was the 1992 National Champion Missouri Southern Lions who went 10-0 in the then South Division of the MIAA.
The Hornets have won ten in a row for the second time this year and have won 20 of their last 21 games overall.
