March 21, 2015-The #11 Emporia State softball team split two games on Saturday at the Apple Market Classic in St. Joseph, Mo. The Hornets fell 4-2 in eight innings to Northern State before beating Concordia-St. Paul 13-4 in six innings.
The Hornets and Wolves were scoreless through the first five innings until Taylor Zordel led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, stole second and scored on a throwing error as Caitlyn VanVleck was trying to sacrifice her to third. Emporia State would go on to lead the bases but had a runner thrown out at home and ground out to end the inning. Northern State tied the game with a two out homer in the top of the seventh. The Wolves scored three unearned runs in the top of the eighth to take a 4-1 lead. The Hornets got one run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single from Jessica Gragg, but would again leave the bases loaded to end the game.
Eryn Stockman went the distance giving up four runs, only one of them earned, on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks to take the loss. Gragg went two for four with an RBI while Zordel and Stephanie Goodwin both went one for four with a run scored.
The Hornets broke on top early in the nightcap, getting four runs in the top of the first and two more in the second. The Golden Bears answered with four in the bottom of the second to pull within 6-4. Emporia State added a run in the third and scored three runs in both the fifth and sixth to go up 13-4 and envoke the run rule.
Goodwin was three for four with six RBI and a run scored while Gragg went two for four with three RBI. Kaitlyn Caston pitched the final 4.1 innings and did not allow a run while giving up two hits and striking out six.
The Hornets will wrap up the classic on Sunday with games against #14 Winona State and Minnesota State-Mankato.
