(Joplin, Mo.) – As the Central Missouri Jennies bats start to get hot, they tally two wins on the second day of the Border Battle in Joplin, Mo. The Jennies beat Rockhurst, 9-1, in five innings, and 4-1 over Quincy.
Five Jennies collected three hits on the day as they out hit their opponents 20-8. They also outscored their opponents 13-3. Senior
Kelli Kurka, juniors
Katie Groves,
Jaydee Young and
Brittany Martin, and sophomore
Ashlea Bengtson all had three hits in the two games. Groves, Bengtson and junior
Nicole Norberg all had a homerun, each of their firsts on the season.
In the circle, junior
Lacey Dixon and sophomore
Sarah Espy had control the entire day, each recording a win. They held opponents to a .200 batting average, giving up the eight hits and two runs while striking out seven.
The Jennies will be back in action on Tuesday when Missouri S&T comes to Warrensburg. First pitch is schedule for 2 p.m. from Jennies Field at the South Recreation Complex.
Game 1: UCM 9, Rockhurst 1
Central Missouri started slow, falling behind 1-0 after the third inning before putting up three in the fourth and six in the fifth. The Jennies had 13 hits in the game, only giving up four. They also left seven runners stranded, while the Hawks left three on base.
In the third inning, Rockhurst had runners on first and third with one out before Leslie Furdek recorded a single that plated the run. Before the next batter was able to step into the box, UCM turned a double play and got the two runners out, ending a threat.
Norberg led off the fourth inning with a home run, tying the game up at one apiece. Bengtson and freshman
Braylyn Bivens both singled and Groves hit a triple that scored the other two runs in the frame.
In the fifth inning with runners on second and third, Norberg fouled out to the third baseman that scored Kurka from third. Martin, who was on third, came home on a passed ball to put UCM up 5-1. After a single by Young, Bengtson then homered to give the Jennies a six run margin. Then with two outs, Groves came up with a runner on first and homered that secured the eight-run advantage.
Groves, Kurka, Young and Bengtson all had two of their hits in this game as Bengtson also collected two RBI.
Dixon pitched the whole game, giving up the one run on four hits. She also walked one batter and struck one out.
Game 2: UCM 4, Quincy 1
Quincy started the game, scoring in the first inning. Central Missouri tied it up on a run of its own in the fourth and then tallied three more in the sixth. UCM outhit the Hawks 7-4 and left five runners on base to Quincy's two.
In the first inning, Quincy led off with a single, stole second and went to third on a fly out. She was then able to come home after an error on the UCM pitcher.
Central Missouri was able to tie things up on a situation similar to how they gave up a run. After two outs, the Jennies recorded back-to-back hits that put runners on second and third. Then Quincy's catcher was unable to block a pitch and gave UCM a run to tie the game at one each.
The Jennies tacked on a trio of runs in the bottom of the sixth when with two outs and a runner on third, Martin singled to put UCM ahead for the first time in the contest. Central Missouri then had three consecutive hits that plated to runs.
Martin had two hits in the game, and five other Jennies had one each. Martin, Young and Bengtson all had an RBI in the game.
Espy pitched the whole game, giving up the one run on four hits. She also walked one and struck out six batters.
