April 8, 2022-Emporia State began their final road trip of the season with a split at Neb.-Kearney on Friday afternoon. The Hornets won game one 2-1 in eight innings before falling 7-5 in the second game.
Game One
Lexi Williams hit a solo homer in the top of the eighth to give the Hornets a 2-1 win in the first game of the double header.
Emporia State got on the board first when
Brittanie Shepherd led off with a single and went to second on
Abbey Ward's infield single. An error on
Roni Raines hit to shortstop loaded the bases and
Maddy Broxterman drove in the first run of the game when she reached on a fielder's choice.
The Lopers tied the game in the fourth when Avery Wood tripled with one out and came home on Lyndsey Roth's groundout.
Williams supplied her heroics with one out in the eighth inning and
Harley Sturm worked around a lead off single in the bottom of the inning to get the win.
Game 2
The Hornets stranded six runners with four of them in the final three innings of a 7-5 loss to Neb.-Kearney in the second game.
The Lopers scored four runs with two outs, three of them unearned, in the bottom of the second. Emporia State got one of the runs back in the top of the third.
Karly Johnson doubled to lead off the inning and went to third on
Emma Furnish's bunt single. Johnson then scored on a delayed double steal to make it 4-1.
The Hornets would tie the game in the top of the fifth. With one out Johnson worked a walk and went to second a single to center by Furnish.
Brittanie Shepherd then delivered a two RBI double to right center. After a single to left by
Abbey Ward, Shepherd tied the game on a ground out by
Harley Sturm.
Neb.-Kearney answered with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Abbie Vodicka broke the tie with a two run single and later scored on a triple from Carlee Liesch to make it 7-4.
Furnish started the seventh by getting hit by a pitch and she went to second on a single by Shoeherd. After an infield fly Sturm reached on a fielder's choice as Furnish beat the ball to third to load the bases. Maddie Broxterman hit a sac fly to plate Furnish as the tying run moved to second base.
McKensy Glass hit a ground ball to second and was just thrown out to end the game.
Shepherd was three for four in the game with two RBI and a run scored.
Emporia State is back in action on Saturday when they travel to Fort Hays State. First pitch from Tiger Stadium in Hays, Kan. is set for 12 noon.
