ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis softball team picked up another split at the Emporia State Classic on Sunday at Gahnstrom Field in Topeka, Kan. The Tritons dropped the opener to Minnesota Duluth and then defeated Sioux Falls 5-3 in its second game of the day.
Game 1 – UMD 3 UMSL 2
The first game was a pitcher's duel between
Ashley Borowitz and Lauren Dixon. The Bulldogs (9-2) struck first with a pair of runs in the top of the third inning. Kiana Bender led off the inning with a homer to center and later in the inning Dea Deleon scored on a bases loaded walk to Julia Gronholz.
UMD added to its lead in the fourth as Kat Burkhardt drove in Corrie Weise with a triple to right center.
UMSL (2-2) scored its first run of the game in its half of the sixth on
Courtney Settles RBI single to right center scoring
Irene Travis. The Tritons scored again on a wild pitch with the bases loaded as
McKenzie Lamos came in from third. UMSL had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position but a strikeout and a fielder's choice ended the inning.
The Tritons had the tying run reach scoring position with one out in the last of the seventh but couldn't get it across as a strikeout and foul out ended the game.
UMSL was outhit 8-4 in the opener and was led by Travis with two hits while Settles and
Annie Scaramuzzi had one hit apiece. Borowitz got the start and went the first 3.1 innings allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits with six strikeouts to drop to 0-1 on the season.
Game 2 UMSL 5 USF 3
The Cougars (1-2) took the early lead as Lexie Swift led off the game with a walk, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Rylie Jones and scored on Kait Van Der Zwaag's sacrifice fly to center.
The Tritons countered with two runs in their half of the first as Travis reached on a bunt single to the pitcher with one out and scored on Lamos's two-run homer to left center. UMSL tacked on two more in the second as
Riley Schultz led off the inning with a hit by pitch and scored on
Corinne Daley's two-run blast to left center.
USF got a run back in the top of the third as Kylie Madrid singled up the middle to drive in Allie McCabe.
The Tritons got that run back in the bottom half of the inning as Daley singled with two outs through the left side of the infield to drive in Scaramuzzi.
The Cougars scored a run in the sixth on Taryn Wagner's two out single to center scoring Madrid.
Mimi Bradley left the bases loaded to end the sixth getting McCabe to fly out to left.
USF had the tying runs on base with one out in the seventh but Bradley got Madrid to pop out to second and Reese Holzhueter grounded out to second to end the game.
UMSL was outhit in game two 7-6 and was led by Daley with two hits while Travis, Lamos, Settles and Scaramuzzi had one apiece.
Jenna Towle picked up the win allowing three runs on five hits with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings of work to move to 2-0 on the season. Bradley picked up her first save as she pitched the final 1.1 innings allowing only two hits.
The Tritons conclude play in the ESU Classic on Monday with a pair of games. They'll take on Concordia-St. Paul at 10 a.m. and then will face Emporia State at 2:30 p.m. Both games will be played at Turnbull field in Emporia, Kan.
