Bearcat softball sweeps Central Missouri
HENRY JANSSEN/DAILY FORUM
Bearcat third baseman Chantel Adams looks on as pitcher Kaitlyn Weis cleanly fields a bunt and forces an out at first base. Weis got the win in the second game, a 4-2 victory over Central Missouri.
Northwest Missouri State University’s softball team (19-11, 8-2 MIAA) came out hot from the very beginning of its doubleheader against Central Missouri (17-18, 7-3 MIAA) on Saturday afternoon. In the bottom of the first inning of Game 1, the Bearcats manufactured five runs en route to an 11-0 walloping of the Jennies.
Four of the ‘Cats five runs in the inning were earned. Chantel Adams sparked the Northwest offense in Game 1 with five runs batted in on three of the team’s nine hits. Jaedra Moses also had a pair of hits in the first game. Taylor Bickford went the whole way in the circle, allowing just a pair of hits and improving her record to 9-2.
Northwest coach Ryan Anderson said that the second game, a 4-2 victory, required a little more grit from his ladies.
“To start the day, we got on the pitcher and lit her up,” Anderson said. “In the second game, we scored a couple in the first inning, and it took us a few more innings to get on her again. We have to keep pressing, being aggressive, and looking for hits.”
After taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a Kaitlyn Weis single (she was also credited with the win for her relief of Holly Posegate), the Bearcats were held scoreless for a pair of frames and a single from the Jennies’ Aubrey Daniel tied the game in the top of the fourth.
In the bottom of the fourth, the ‘Cats earned the remainder of their runs on back-to-back solo shots. Seven-hole hitter and first baseman Abigail Gilson hit a no-doubter to left-center, followed immediately by a home run from catcher Jessica Rawie – two of Northwest’s seven hits. No Bearcats had multiple hits in Game 2.
“It’s not as though we have three kids that are hitting .500,” Anderson said. “Up and down the lineup we have kids helping us out, and any amount of production from the entire lineup is great.”
Saturday’s losses snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Jennies. After struggling for the early portion of the season, Central had gotten hot coming into the MIAA slate, including three doubleheader sweeps against Missouri Southern, Fort Hays, and Nebraska-Kearney two weeks ago.
Central Missouri coach Susan Anderson said she knew coming in that Northwest’s ability to hit for power was going to be tough for her side to overcome.
“In the second game, we were looking to have productive at-bats,” Anderson said. “It was a much better-played game on our part, in we had a couple hard shots that took us out of innings and led to some tough outs. We knew coming in here it was going to be a hard-fought game. They proved their power today.”
Northwest has three more doubleheaders this week, beginning with a trip to St. Joseph to face Missouri Western on Tuesday at 3 p.m. After that, the ‘Cats head for Pittsburg, Kansas on Friday for a 4 o’clock start against Pittsburg State. Northwest then plays at Missouri Southern at noon on Saturday.
Bearcat leadoff hitter and second baseman Torri Blythe said that she looks forward to carrying momentum from Saturday’s pair into a rivalry game against Western. She said defeating a hot Central team twice was an accomplishment in itself.
“They’re always tough, especially playing them at home. They’ve got good pitching and good hitting, but they’re definitely beatable. It’s always fun to play your rival.
“Starting off with five runs in the first inning and never looking back is nice against a team like UCM that’s been doing really well. It’s definitely encouraging to see us do that well this weekend.”
HENRY JANSSEN/DAILY FORUM
Northwest’s Karli Allen gets barrel to softball in the second game of the Bearcats’ doubleheader versus Central Missouri on Saturday. The ‘Cats won the first game 11-0 before grinding out a 4-2 victory in the second.
HENRY JANSSEN/DAILY FORUM
Northwest’s Abigail Gilson prepares to flip a fielded bunt to first base in Saturday’s win over Central Missouri. Gilson came up huge in the bottom of the fourth inning with a one-out solo shot. The ‘Cats won 11-0 and 4-2.
