February 21, 2016-It came down to their last at bat each time, but Emporia State swept two games on the final day of the Kelly Laas Indoor Invitational in St. Cloud, Minn. The Hornets defeated Augustana 7-6 and then beat the host school 1-0 and have now won five of their last six games.
VS. AUGUSTANA
After playing a night game on Saturday, the Hornets had to be up early to take on Augustana at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday. The Vikings took a 1-0 lead on Maggie Kadrlik's second inning home run. Emporia State responded with three unearned runs in the third inning to take the lead. Augustana answered with four runs in the top of the fourth to go ahead 5-3. Jacie Stephens singled in Danielle Sprinkle in the sixth to cut the lead to one run, but the Vikings added a run on a sac fly in the top of the seventh to go back up by two runs. Morgan Swisher started the line moving in the bottom of the seventh with a single and went to third on Caitlin VanVleck's double. Sarah Glass singled to load the bases and Sprinkle singled to plate Swisher. Cassidy Berry reached on an error by the third baseman that allowed VanVleck to score the tying run. Stephens hit a walk off single that scored Glass and the Hornets won 7-6.
Sprinkle was three for four with two RBI and a run scored while Stephens went two for four with two RBI. Holly Hinkel worked the final 3.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits to pick up the win.
VS. ST. CLOUD STATE
Emporia State's Hanna Wright and St. Cloud State's Megan Hedstrom locked up in a pitchers duel in the second game of the day. The Hornets were no hit through the first five innings until Katie Yoakum reached on a single to lead off the sixth. The Huskies had nine base runners through the first six innings, but the Hornet defense turned two double plays, caught one runner stealing, threw out a batter trying to stretch a single into a double, and got a runner out at home trying score with the bases loaded to keep the game scoreless through six innings.
After a lead off single and a stolen base in the bottom of the sixth, Wright struck out three in a row to set up the Hornets last at bat heroics. Sprinkle singled to lead off the seventh and Berry reached on a fielder's choice when St. Cloud could not turn the double play. Berry went to second on a ground out by Stephens and Marly Carmona delivered the go ahead run with a single up the middle. Wright gave up a one out single in the bottom of the seventh but then got two fly balls to complete the shutout.
Wright scattered seven hits over 7.0 innings with three strikeouts and one walk.
UP NEXT
The Hornets begin MIAA play on March 4 when they travel to Lindenwood. First pitch of the double header at the Lou Brock Sports Complex in St. Charles, Mo. is set for 2:00 p.m.
