ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The Missouri Southern softball team topped the No. 17 Augustana Vikings by snapping their 11-game winning streak in game one (3-1) before the Vikings came back in game two to force a low-scoring duel (2-1) to conclude the Hy-Vee Classic inside the Griffon Softball Field Saturday evening.
Game One
MSSU (11-14) held No. 17 Augustana (20-5) scoreless through five innings in game one of a non-conference doubleheader as part of the Hy-Vee Classic.
It took until the sixth as the Lions produced back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with one out. This brought up senior Lexi Ferrari who pushed the count to 2-2 and eventually lifted one into right field to score both runners to give the Lions a 2-0 advantage heading into the bottom of the sixth.
With two outs in the seventh, Elizabeth Windsor singled to second base which allowed Ashley Caldarella to run home and extend the lead to three. The Vikings got one back in the ninth, but freshman Abby Atkin came in for the save and succeeded by causing the batter to ground out to second base which left the bases loaded to end the game.
Senior pitcher Taurean Guzman manufactured her fourth win of the season upon completing 6.2 innings and limiting the Vikings to one run (unearned) on three hits as the team earned its first victory of the season over a nationally ranked opponent.
Game Two
The Lions cut the deficit to one in the fifth after the Vikings recorded one run in the first inning and later added a solo home run to take a 2-0 lead in the fifth. Freshman Josie Tofpi walked on three-straight pitches to score the lone run for the Lions in the bottom half of the inning.
Five Lions registered a hit in the loss, including Caldarella who hit a double in the fifth.
On Deck
The Lions travel to the state of Kansas for a pair of MIAA doubleheaders starting with Washburn this Friday, Mar. 29 at 2:00 pm and then Emporia State on Saturday at noon.
