(Springfield, Mo.) – The Central Missouri Jennies softball team couldn't get the offense going as they dropped a pair of non-conference games on Tuesday evening against Drury. UCM fell 3-0 in the opener and 11-3 in the second contest.
UCM was outhit 23-11 on the day as only seven Jennies recorded a hit. Junior
Katie Groves tallied three, sophomore
Brandi Campbell and freshman
Braylyn Bivens both had two, and seniors
Kasey Martin and
Kelli Kurka, junior
Brittany Martin and sophomore
Ashlea Bengtson all had one apiece. Groves and Kurka had the only extra base hits, both garnering a double.
The Jennies (21-19) will return to action this weekend when they travel to Kirksville, Mo. to participate in the second MIAA Crossover from Friday-Sunday. UCM is scheduled to play Southwest Baptist (Friday at 2), Emporia State (Friday at 4), Missouri Southern (Saturday at noon), Pittsburg State (Saturday at 2) and Lincoln (Sunday at 1).
Game 1: Jennies 0, Drury 3
Central Missouri tallied five hits in the contest and left 10 runners on base, three of them stranded on third base. Drury collected seven hits, leaving seven runners on base.
The Panthers recorded two runs in the second inning on a bases loaded single up the middle with no outs. They would add one more run in the fifth on a sacrifice.
The Jennies had at least one runner on base in every inning, bases loaded in the fifth . In the seventh frame, UCM had two on with only one out but couldn't get the ball on the ground.
Campbell tallied two hits in the contest, her sixth multiple hit game of the campaign. Bivens, Groves and
Brittany Martin each got one hit. Groves was also walked twice.
Sophomore
Megan Schallom went the whole game, suffering her fifth loss of the season. She gave up three runs, two earned, on seven hits. She walked two batters and struck out one.
Game 2: Jennies 3, Drury 11
Drury continued its hitting in the second contest, scoring a pair in both the first and second frames, before giving up its first run of the day in the fourth. Central Missouri tallied two more in fifth to make the score 4-3, but then gave up three and four, respectively in the Panthers next two at bats.
The Jennies had six hits in the game and left four runners on base, while the Panthers recorded 16 hits, leaving nine runners on base. Groves tallied two hits, one a double, her ninth multiple hit game of the season. Kurka also had a double in the contest.
In the fourth frame with a runner on third and one out,
Kasey Martin singled to right center field to put the Jennies on the board. Then in the fifth, with runners on first and third, Campbell grounded out for an RBI. Groves then dug in for a double that scored the Jennies third run.
Central Missouri used three pitchers in the game, as junior
Lacey Dixon suffered her fourth loss of the season. She threw the first 1.1 innings, giving up four runs on five hits. Senior
Jamin Landreth went the middle 2.2 innings, giving up three runs on four hits. Sophomore
Sarah Espy finished the game, going 1.2 innings. She gave up four runs on seven hits and struck out five batters.
