EMPORIA STATE SOFTBALL SPLITS WITH MISSOURI WESTERN

April 3, 2021-Emporia State earned a split with Missouri Western on Saturday afternoon, winning 4-3 in eight innings in the matinee before falling 9-3 in the nightcap.
 
Game One
The Hornets took an early lead and then won in extra innings as Emporia State posted a 4-3 victory in eight innings in game one.
Emporia State used four straight singles in the second inning to take a 3-0lead.  Kerrigan Dixon started things with a one out single through the right side and went to second on a Brittanie Shepherd single down the left field line.  Karly Johnson drove in the first run with single to right and went to second on the play. Destiny Ojigoh followed with an RBI single to left and drew a throw as she went on a delay to second that allowed Johnson to score and give the Hornets a 3-0 lead.
The Griffons tied the game in the bottom of the third. Rachel Stewart hit a two RBI single with the bases loaded to make it 3-2 and Taylor Hoelscher scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 3-3.
It would stay that way as the teams went to extra innings. With one out in the eighth Roni Raines reached on a single.  Alexis Dial pinch ran for her and went to third on a single to right by Kelsey Phillips.  Abbey Ward delivered the game winning RBI on a sac flay as Dial scored to make it 4-3.  Brylie Bassett worked the bottom of the eighth and allowed a just one out single to record her first save.
Raines, Phillips, and Dixon each had two hits for the Hornets. Phillips allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits with three strikeouts and two walks to earn the win.
 
Game 2
The Hornets came back from down four runs to trail by one in the sixth before the Griffons scored five in their last at bat on the way to a 9-3 MWSU win.
Missouri Western scored two runs in the first inning before both starting pitchers settled in. The Griffons Kaili Hinds and the Hornets Kerrigan Dixon would combine to retire 13 straight batters at one point and neither allowed a hit from the second through fifth inning.
The Griffons used a pair of sacrifice flies to take a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Destiny Ojigoh broke up Hinds no hitter with a leadoff single in the top of the sixth. Gabby Biondo followed with a single and after an out Roni Raines reached on an error to load the bases. Dixon then delivered a two run single through the left side to cut the Griffon lead in half.  Emma Furnish then forced another error by the Griffons that drove in Raines as the Hornets closed to within 4-3.
Western would then score five unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth.  With one out Rachel Stewart and Sierra Culver each reached on errors.  The Griffons pulled a double steal to get their first insurance run and then Rian Gere hit an RBI double to make it 6-3.  They would add three more runs on a single, another error and a double to take a 9-3 lead to the seventh inning.  The Hornets would have two runners reach base in the seventh but could bring them home.
Emporia State was held to three hits, one each by Biondo, Dixon and Ojigoh with Dixon having two RBI. Dixon allowed nine runs, three earned, on nine hits in 5.2 innings.
 
Emporia State will return to the Trusler Sports Complex on Friday to take on Central Missouri. First pitch of game one is set for 3:00 p.m.