For the first time all day, Emporia State’s Laura Pfautsch failed to get a sacrifice bunt down for her team.
She ended up winning the game instead.
Pfautsch delivered in the bottom of the 10th, lining a two-strike pitch into left field to drive in Courtney Stevens and give ESU a 2-1 victory over Truman in the second game of Friday’s doubleheader.
The Hornets also won the first game 2-1 in walk-off fashion, with Megan Davison providing the game-winning double in the bottom of the eighth.
Pfautsch had put down four bunts in her previous six plate appearances Friday before being asked to do it in the 10th inning in a 1-1 tie.
After getting a pair of strikes, she couldn’t help but remember bad hitting luck she’d had last week against Washburn when she lined into a double play.
“It was really nice to actually get the ball through and get the run in,” Pfautsch said. “It was nice to do something different than hitting it at somebody.”
Pfautsch’s game-winner came after the teams were forced to use the International tiebreaker after entering the 10th tied at 0.
With a runner being placed on second to start the inning, Central scored its run after using a pair of sacrifice bunts.
ESU responded in the bottom half of the inning. Stevens’ sacrifice bunt was thrown away by Truman first baseman Natalie Soltys, scoring Morgan Viola to tie it at 1.
Pfautsch’s single to left ended it after that.
Though Pfautsch provided the crucial hit, it was pitcher Samantha Sheeley who kept the Hornets in the game.
The junior allowed no earned runs in a whopping 10 innings pitched, giving up just three hits while striking out three.
“This is probably the best outing that she’s ever had,” ESU first baseman Jennifer Dace said.
With the shutout, Sheeley dropped her earned-run average at home to a minuscule 0.49.
Courtney Reed was just as impressive in Game One for ESU.
The senior went eight innings, giving up a single unearned run in the top of the first inning.
She allowed just three hits and struck out nine to pick up her 20th victory.
“I saw a great pitching performance and great defense today,” ESU coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “That allowed us to win a couple games maybe we didn’t deserve to win.”
In Game One, ESU couldn’t find any luck early, going scoreless in the first four innings while missing out on multiple scoring opportunities.
The strangest play came in the third with one out.
With Dace on second and two strikes in the count, Chelsea McClernon swung through a pitch that went by Truman catcher Erica LaCombe.
McClernon broke to first base, and as the ball ricocheted off the backstop, Dace attempted to round third and score. The sophomore appeared to slide under LaCombe’s tag at home, but the umpire made no signal of safe or out.
After conferring with the field umpire, he called Dace out at home.
The Hornets also had a run called back in the fourth. Pinch runner Shelbe Hughes scored on a Morgan Viola fly ball to center, but she was later called out because she left third base too early on the tag up.
“We were trying to get one run every time,” Dace said. “When you’re trying to push, it makes it that much harder.”
ESU finally broke through in the fifth.
With two outs, McClernon delivered a single up the middle to score Dace, who slid in just under Dani Mayer’s throw from center to tie the game at 1.
Megan Davison provided the dramatics in the bottom of the eighth, lining a ball down the left-field line to easily score Huddleston from first base for the game-clinching run.
Dace had five hits in the doubleheader, which included a 3-for-3 performance in Game One.
The sophomore struggled offensively in the early season, getting dropped from her third spot in the batting order.
“I got moved everywhere, from five to six to seven to eight,” Dace said. “You’ve just got to deal with how they pitch you differently. I got my stroke back today and hit a lot better. You’ve just got to perform no matter where you are in the lineup.”
Davison added four hits in the twinbill.
ESU (36-8, 9-1 MIAA) will play host to first-place Central Missouri in a doubleheader today at noon.
Friday at Emporia
Game One
ESU 2, Truman 1 (8 innings)
Truman 100 000 00 — 1 3 0
ESU 000 010 01 — 2 9 2
(Game ended with 0 outs in the bottom of the 8th)
W — Reed. L — Jeannin.
E — ESU: Huddleston, Stevens. DP — Bulldogs 1, Hornets 1. LOB — Bulldogs 5, Hornets 8. 2B — ESU: Davison. HBP — Truman: Noski. ESU: Huddleston. SH — ESU: Pfautsch 2. SB — Truman: Belcher, Shelman. Reached on CI — Truman: Johnson.
Game Two
ESU 2, Truman 1 (10 innings)
Truman 000 000 0001 — 1 3 1
ESU 000 000 0002 — 2 7 0
(Game ended with 0 outs in the bottom of the 10th)
W — Sheeley. L — McDougal.
E — Truman: Soltys. LOB — Bulldogs 3, Hornets 8. 2B — Truman: Rock. ESU: McClernon, Pfautsch. HBP — Truman: LaCombe. SH — Truman: Belcher, Noski, LaCombe. ESU: Stevens, Pfautsch. SB — ESU: Campbell. CS — Truman: LaCombe 2, Rock.