ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis softball team got solid pitching and timely hitting in its doubleheader sweep of Truman State at the UMSL Softball Field on Sunday afternoon. The Tritons won game one 1-0 and the second game 4-2. UMSL moves to 21-23, 8-10 GLVC while the Bulldogs fall to 17-23, 9-9 GLVC.
Game 1 – UMSL 1 Truman 0
The opening game was a pitcher's duel between the Tritons
Ashley Borowitz and Truman's Madie Anderson as the two threw up zeroes for the first four innings. Borowitz worked around a two-out single in the first and then gave up a one out triple to Emily Wood in the fourth but got a strikeout and a fly out to
Megan Russell to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
UMSL had runners reach base in each of the first four innings but were unable to break through against Anderson until
Simia Spahiev led off the fifth inning with a home run to left. She fell behind in the count 0-2 then fouled off four straight pitches before connecting on her fourth home run of the season.
Truman got the tying run on base in the sixth but Borowitz retired Wood on a fly out to right to end the inning.
The Bulldogs got the tying run on base again in the seventh as Charlotte Chelich reached on an error to start the inning but Truman was unable to bring her in as Borowitz retired the final three hits to pick up the complete game victory and her third shutout of the season.
The Tritons had four hits in the contest and were led by Spahiev,
Irene Travis,
McKenzie Lamos and
Katie Schaake with one each. Borowitz improved to 11-12 giving up four hits while striking out four and didn't walk a batter.
Game 2 – UMSL 4 Truman 2
TSU played small ball in the first inning of game two to score the first run of the contest. Cassie Smith led off the inning with a single back to Schaake, went to second on a wild pitch, stole third on a delayed steal and scored on a wild pitch.
The bottom of the order got UMSL going in the third as
Maddie Illingworth and
Rylie Buchanan led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Russell advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt to third. Travis was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Courtney Settles put the Tritons ahead hitting a single to shallow center that landed in front of a diving Wood that scored Illingworth and Buchanan.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the fourth. With one out, Cameryn Patterson was hit by a pitch and went to second a wild pitch. Madi McCarty hit a comebacker to Schaake in the circle but Schaake's throw to first was offline allowing Patterson to cross the plate with the tying run and put McCarty in scoring position.
Schaake struck out Breianna Klein and Caragan Baker swinging to keep the game knotted at two.
UMSL retook the lead in the sixth as the bottom of the order delivered again. Borowitz led off the inning with a sharp single back up the middle.
Gwyn Miller ran for Borowitz and went to second on Schaake's groundout back to the pitcher. With two out, Illingworth drove in Miller with the go-ahead run hitting a single to right. The Tritons added an insurance run on Russell's single through the right side of the infield that scored Illingworth.
Schaake set Truman down in order in the seventh to pick up the complete game victory and even her record at 5-5. She gave up two runs, one earned, on five hits and six strikeouts.
UMSL had seven hits in game two and were led by Illingworth with a career-high three while Russell, Settles, Borowitz and Buchanan had one each.
The Tritons are back on the road next weekend traveling to Illinois for a pair of doubleheaders. They'll take on Illinois Springfield next Saturday at 12 p.m. at the UIS Softball Complex in Springfield, Ill.
