February 18, 2017-Emporia State split Saturday's action in Bentonville, Ark., falling 5-3 in eight innings to #18 Harding before defeating Drury 7-2 in their night cap. The Hornets have now won seven of their last nine games.
#18 Harding 5, Emporia State 3 (8 innings)
Emporia State took #18 Harding to extra innings before falling 5-3 in eight. The Bison got on the board first with a run in the fourth inning and took a 2-0 lead with a solo home run in the fifth. The Hornets responded with a solo homer from Katy Rae Nordman in the bottom of the fifth to cut the lead in half.
Harding scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth to go up 3-1. Katie Yoakum singled with one out in the sixth and went to second on Cassidy Berry's single. Jacie Stephens then delivered a two run single to tie the game.
Neither team scored in the seventh to send the game to extra innings. Autumn Humes walked with one out and with two outs Amanda Berdon hit a two run home run to give Harding a 5-3 lead. Danielle Sprinkle worked a walk in the bottom of the seventh to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs, but the Hornets could not complete the comeback.
Berry was two for four with a run scored while Stephens went one for four with two RBI. Eryn Stockman started and went 6.0 innings, giving up three runs on six hits. Holly Hinkel worked the final 2.0 innings and gave up two runs on one hit to take the loss.
Emporia State 7, Drury 2
Nordman hit a grand slam in the fourth inning to break a 1-1 tie on the way to a 7-2 win by Emporia State over Drury in the second game of the day.
Sprinkle gave the Hornets a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI single that drove in McKenna Davis. The Panthers tied it with a solo run in the top of the third. In the bottom of the fourth Sprinkle and Stephens led off with back to back singles and Marly Carmona walked to load the bases for Nordman who promptly cleared them.
Drury added a run in the top of the fifth but the Hornets answered with two more in the sixth. The first run came on a Panther error before Nordman collected her fifth RBI of the game with a sac fly.
Sprinkle and Stephens both went two for three with a run scored while Sprinkle had an RBI. Nordman was one for two with five RBI while Carmona went one for two with a walk and two runs scored. Kaelah McMullin allowed two runs, only one earned, while scattering 12 hits over 7.0 innings to pick up the win.
The Hornets will wrap up the tournament on Sunday with games against Minnesota-Duluth and #24 Mo.-St. Louis at the 8 States Classic in Bentonville, Ark.
