March 20, 2021-Emporia State lost a pair of games to start play in the Emporia Edition of the MWSU Hy-Vee Classic on Saturday afternoon at the Trusler Sports Complex. The Hornets lost to #3 Augustana 6-2 and Sioux Falls 5-3.
#3 Augustana 6, Emporia State 2
The third ranked and defending national champions from 2019 Augustana scored four runs in the last two innings to take a 6-2 win over Emporia State.
Torri Chute started the scoring with a home run in the second to put the Vikings up 1-0.
Abbey Ward got a bases loaded single for the Hornets in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.
Brittanie Shepherd got an RBI single that scored
Gabby Biondo to give Emporia State a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third.
Ashley Mickschl tripled to lead off the top of the fourth and Chute drove her in with an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2. In the bottom of the fifth
Kelsey Phillips led off with a double, Biondo reached on an error and Shepherd beat out a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. The next three Hornets all popped up to infielders to end the threat.
Augie took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth on back to back RBI doubles by Chute and Abby Lien with two outs. Amber Elliott helped herself with a solo homer in the top of the seventh and Kendall Cornick had an RBI single for the final score of 6-2.
Shepherd went two for four with an RBI. Phillips went the distance in the circle, giving up six runs on 11 hits with three strikeouts for the loss.
Sioux Falls 5, Emporia State 3
The Hornets were held to just two hits in a 5-3 loss to Sioux Falls in the final game of the day.
The Cougars scored four runs on five hits with a Hornet error in the top of the first inning and added another run in the top of the third to go up 5-0. Emporia State took advantage of two Sioux Falls errors to get on the board in the third.
Karly Johnson reached and advanced to second on an error by the USF first baseman Peyton Senger.
Emma Furnish laid down a bunt and Cougar pitcher threw the ball away, allowing Johnson to score and Furnish to advance all the way to third. Furnish would then score on a wild pitch to make it 5-2.
Roni Raines triple down the right field line with one out in the bottom of the sixth.
Brylie Bassett followed with a shot up the middle that deflected off the pitcher's glove to the shortstop who was able to throw her out for second out as Raines came home to end the scoring.
Raines was two for three with a run scored for both of Emporia State's hits.
Kerrigan Dixon started and allowed five runs on eight hits while striking out six and walking no one.
The Hornets will rematch with both Augustana and Sioux Falls on Sunday to wrap up the Classic. Action will start with #23 Central Oklahoma taking on #3 Augustana at 10:00 a.m. and then Sioux Falls at noon. Emporia State will take on Augie in the third game and wrap up the weekend against USF.
