Jennifer Dace was motivated to produce at the plate. She’d had enough chewing out for one day.
After a sloppy top of the fifth, Emporia State coach Kristi Bredbenner took her entire team down the left-field line, challenging her players to pick up their energy and focus.
The Hornets responded the next half-inning, with Dace providing a walk-off grand slam in her team’s 9-0 run-rule victory over Missouri Southern on Tuesday.
“I think we were all pumped,” Dace said, “because if we weren’t, we’d get yelled at a little bit more.”
ESU also won Game One, 3-0.
After scoring four runs in the first inning of the second game, Bredbenner watched on as her team seemed to coast through the next few innings.
The Hornets weren’t as talkative on the field or in the dugout. ESU also had players collide on two different easy popups.
“I got a little fired up, and I wasn’t happy with the way the girls were playing at that time,” Bredbenner said. “We talked about it, I let them know how I felt, and they did a great job of responding.”
Following the get-together, ESU needed only a few minutes to end it.
After two walks, a hit-by-pitch and an error, Dace delivered the biggest blow.
With strong wind gusts blowing across the field, it seemed unlikely that any ball would leave the park.
Dace still made it happen, connecting on a deep drive to center that — after the wind took a hold of it — ended up over the wall in left.
Megan Dennis picked up the win, allowing no runs and two hits in five innings. She retired the final 14 Southern batters she faced.
Samantha Sheeley carried ESU to its Game One victory, as she picked up her first no-hitter of the season.
The Hornets’ right-hander dominated the contest without being, well, dominant.
Though the senior struck out 10, she admitted afterward she “didn’t feel like herself.”
Sheeley walked four hitters and oftentimes struggled with a small strike zone.
“I kind of let that get to me,” Sheeley said. “I just had to work my corners a little bit better.”
Once she did, Southern never made the necessary adjustments.
Sheeley faced just three batters over the minimum, and ESU didn’t commit an error.
“It really didn’t feel like a no-hitter,” Sheeley said. “I didn’t feel like I had to work too hard. I guess that’s what it feels like when you have good defense behind you.”
ESU scored all its runs in the fourth with the help of clutch hitting.
Dace started with a single, and after a sacrifice bunt and fielder’s choice, the bottom of the Hornets’ order came through.
Abby Smith, Aubree Brattin and Linda Ketter all provided two-out, RBI singles as the Hornets built a 3-0 lead.
Smith and Dace led the ESU offense with two hits each.
ESU (28-13, 7-1 MIAA) will play a pair of road doubleheaders this weekend, starting with a date against Truman on Friday.
Tuesday at Trusler
Game One
Emporia State 3, Mo. Southern 0
Mo. Southern 000 000 0 — 0 0 1
No. 21 ESU 000 300 X — 3 8 0
W — Sheeley. L — Berger.
E — MSSU: Hasty. LOB — MSSU 3, ESU 5. SH — MSSU: Roark; ESU: Wiard, Campbell. CS — ESU: Campbell.
Game Two
Emporia State 9, Mo. Southern 0
Mo. Southern 000 00 — 0 2 4
No. 21 ESU 400 05 — 9 6 0
Note: 1 out, 0 runners LOB when the game ended.
E — MSSU: Cecil 2, Turner, Childs. LOB — MSSU 2, ESU 8. 2B — ESU: Huddleston. HR — ESU: Dace. HBP — ESU: Potter. SH — ESU: Ketter. SB — ESU: Wiard, Dace, Campbell, Potter.
Att — 198. Records — MSSU 5-25, 2-8 MIAA; ESU 28-13, 7-1 MIAA.