ESU softball picks up pair of sweeps
Hornets take 2 from Central Missouri, Truman to move to 32-13 on the season
By Jesse Newell
Monday, April 21, 2008
Maybe starting off the season with a killer schedule wasn’t the worst thing for the Emporia State softball team after all.
The Hornets seemed at ease in close games over the weekend, taking 3-0 and 5-3 road victories over Central Missouri on Saturday before winning 2-1 and 3-1 at Truman on Sunday.
Suddenly, the same ESU team that started the season 5-8 is now 27-5 over its last 32 contests.
“We had a lot of games that we ended up losing (early), but we learned how to play in tough situations,” ESU coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “I think that’s paying off now.”
ESU came from behind in its final three victories.
In Game One on Sunday, the Hornets trailed 1-0 with two outs in the top of the seventh before Angela Mahan came through in the clutch.
With a runner on third, Mahan singled to center to tie the contest at 1.
“She just had a great at-bat,” Bredbenner said. “She’d been battling all day, and it was the fourth time through the lineup that she’d faced (Truman’s) Katie Noski. I had a feeling that she was going to get it done.”
Miranda Campbell broke the tie in the eighth, driving a home run over the wall in right-center.
ESU’s Samantha Sheeley struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the win.
The Hornets also trailed 1-0 in the nightcap before getting one run in the third and two more in the fourth.
Mahan had an RBI single in the third, and Aubree Brattin and Jessica Potter contributed run-scoring hits in the fourth.
ESU starter Megan Dennis took it from there, as she didn’t allow a hit over the last five innings.
On Saturday, Sheeley dominated the first game, which featured two of the MIAA’s top pitchers in Sheeley and UCM’s Megan Leonard.
Sheeley allowed no runs and three hits in a complete-game performance. She struck out 11 and walked just three.
“I just think Sam has a lot of confidence in herself. She’s a great pitcher,” Bredbenner said. “It was a big challenge for her to go up against Megan Leonard. She was the one pitcher getting all the pitcher of the weeks and that everyone was talking about.
“We’ve also got someone worth talking about on our team. I think Sam’s done a great job all year.”
After being held scoreless for five innings, ESU’s offense finally broke through in the sixth.
Campbell contributed an RBI double to score Nicole Bergley, and April Huddleston followed with a run-scoring single.
Mahan’s RBI triple in the seventh gave the Hornets an insurance run.
ESU was down to its final out in Game Two before rallying to tie it.
Trailing 3-2, Jill Peters walked and Jessie Wiard was hit by a pitch.
After a sac bunt and strikeout, Campbell was intentionally walked to load the bases.
With the game on the line, Huddleston came through with a walk to tie the score at 3.
The Hornets finally broke it open in the 10th, as Huddleston, Shelbe Hughes and Abby Smith put together three consecutive hits that resulted in two runs.
Sheeley pitched four perfect innings to pick up her second win of the day. In her relief outing, she struck out nine more UCM batters.
The ESU right-hander is 7-1 with a 0.73 earned-run average in MIAA play.
Also of note was Wiard, who stole her 38th base of the year on Sunday. That breaks the previous ESU single-season record of 37 stolen bases.
Wiard has not been caught on a stolen-base attempt yet this season.
ESU (32-13, 11-1 MIAA) sits a full game in front of UCM in the MIAA standings and also should make up some ground in the Regional rankings.
Last week, UCM was ranked No. 2 in the Region, while ESU was No. 3.
“You’ve got to be happy with a 4-0 record on a pretty tough weekend,” Bredbenner said. “Our girls did a great job.”
Sunday at Kirksville, Mo.
Game One
ESU 2, Truman 1, 8 innings
No. 22 ESU 000 000 11 — 2 6 0
Truman 000 001 00 — 1 3 1
W — Sheeley. L — Martin.
E — Truman: Blackney. LOB — ESU 8, Truman 1. 2B — Truman: Belcher. HR — ESU: Campbell. SH — ESU: Dace, Ketter. SB — Hughes. CS — Truman: LaCombe.
Game Two
ESU 3, Truman 1
No. 22 ESU 001 200 0 — 3 7 0
Truman 100 000 0 — 1 4 0
W — Me. Dennis. L — Jeannin.
LOB — ESU 7, Truman 4. 2B — ESU: Huddleston. SH — ESU: Huddleston; UCM: LaCombe. SB — ESU: Wiard, Hughes.
Records — ESU 32-13, 11-1 MIAA; Truman 18-19, 6-10 MIAA.
Saturday at Warrensburg, Mo.
Game One
ESU 3, Central Missouri 0
No. 22 ESU 000 002 1 — 3 5 1
Central Mo. 000 000 0 — 0 3 4
W — Sheeley. L — Leonard.
E — ESU: Campbell; UCM: Branson 2, Bauer, Gustin. LOB — ESU 6, UCM 6. 2B — ESU: Campbell. 3B — ESU: Mahan. SB — ESU: Wiard 3, Brattin; UCM: Ely-Myers.
Game Two
ESU 5, Central Missouri 3, 10 innings
No. 22 ESU 011 000 100 2 — 5 6 1
Central Mo. 000 300 000 0 — 3 3 1
W — Sheeley. L — Leonard.
E — ESU: Campbell; UCM: Holland. DP — ESU 1. LOB — ESU 10, UCM 2. 2B — ESU: Campbell, Huddleston, Hughes. 3B — UCM: Palmer. HR — UCM: Ely-Myers. HBP — ESU: Wiard. SH — ESU: Wiard, Mahan, Huddleston, Potter. SF — ESU: Hughes. CS — ESU: Dace.
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