WARRENSBURG, Mo. (April 24, 2017) - Central Missouri wrapped up the regular season with a doubleheader sweep of Lindenwood Monday afternoon in Warrensburg. The Jens held on for a 6-2 win in game one before the bats broke out for a 9-1 win in five innings in game two. UCM finishes the regular season at 28-25 and 17-9 in the MIAA. The 17 conference wins are the third most in team history. They've also won their last seven MIAA games.
With the pair of wins the Jennies finished in third place in the MIAA regular season standings. They move on to the MIAA Tournament in Oklahoma City, Okla. starting Thursday, April 27. They take on No. 6 seed Northwest Missouri to start the double-elimination tournament. That game starts at 5 p.m.
Game One: Central Missouri 6, Lindenwood 2
The Lions got to Jennies starter
Alexa Bradley early, scoring the first two runs of the game with an RBI double followed by an RBI ground out in the second. Bradley settled down, throwing five scoreless innings after to complete the game. She earned her 12th win of the season allowing the two runs on five hits with a strikeout and two walks.
The Jennies backed up Bradley scoring a run in the home half of the second on a
Hailey Crabtree two-out RBI double. They followed that up with a three-spot an inning later.
Lauren Mabe led off the frame with her fourth home run of the season.
Carlie Rose gave Central Missouri the lead for good with an RBI double and she came around to score the Jens fourth run on an RBI ground out.
Central Missouri tacked on a run in the sixth on another RBI groundout, and Crabtree knocked her second two-out RBI hit giving Bradley a four-run cushion. The Lions threatened in their final turn at bat, loading the bases with two-out, but Bradley got Adele Linderman to ground out on a 3-2 pitch to end the game.
Crabtree finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI. She had two of the Jens seven hits. Mabe and Rose both went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Austine Pauley collected two of the Lions five hits and scored a run. Kimberly Fozzard pitched all seven innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts and a pair of walks.
Game Two: Central Missouri 9, Lindenwood 1 - 5 innings
Central Missouri scored in each of the final four innings, backing
Katie Giacone who allowed just one run and three hits with four strikeouts. She finishes the regular season at 12-8.
A day after UCM knocked 15 hits, the Jens tallied 14 in just five innings. Six starters finished with at least two hits and seven different Jennies scored a run. Rose went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while
Courtni Smith went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI.
The Jens left two runners on base in the first, but broke through in the second. Crabtree continued to come up clutch with another two-out RBI and the Jens scored their first run on the Lions first of four errors in the game.
An inning later, Smith crossed the plate as
Aubrey Daniel was thrown out at second base, and UCM put the game away with a four-run fourth. Mabe and Smith each had RBI hits in the inning, and
Makayla Schoonover and Crabtree both scored on another Lion error.
A sacrifice fly ruined Giacone's shutout bid in the fifth, but Smith's two-out, two-RBI double with the bases loaded brought home
Allie Dishinger and Crabtree with the game-ending run.
Helped by the four Lion errors, the Jennies scored six unearned runs. Stormee Galka got the start for Lindenwood and lasted 3.1 innings giving up six runs (four earned) on 10 hits with a walk and a strikeout. Bethany Fountain didn't fare much better giving up three runs (zero earned) in 1.1 innings with two strikeouts.
