'Our Home Turf'
ESU softball team continues mastery of MIAA tourney in pair of run-rule victories
By Jesse Newell
Friday, May 2, 2008
Matthew Hicks/Special to The Gazette
The Emporia State Hornets wait at home plate for Miranda Campbell (3) following her fourth-inning, two-run home run on Thursday during the Hornets’ 11-0 victory over Fort Hays State at the Mid-America West Sports Complex in Shawnee. ESU later defeated Washburn, 11-2.
SHAWNEE — The Emporia State softball team sure seems to have found a home away from home at the Mid-America West Sports Complex in Shawnee.
The No. 12 Hornets continued their dominance in the MIAA Tournament on Thursday, taking an 11-0 run-rule victory over Fort Hays State and an 11-2 run-rule win over Washburn.
ESU has now won 18 straight games in the conference tournament.
“I feel like every time we come here, this is kind of our home turf,” ESU sophomore Miranda Campbell said.
With the wins, ESU advances to face third-seeded Northwest Missouri State at 2 p.m. today. The winner of that game will advance to the championship, where it will need to win one of two games to take the MIAA Tournament title.
Playing well in the MIAA Tournament has seemingly become an expectation for the ESU softball team.
No one on the team — and that includes coach Kristi Bredbenner — has ever lost in the tourney.
The Hornet softball team hasn’t lost at the complex since 2003. ESU has won the tournament title in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
“Now we kind of take it as an insult if people don’t think we’re going to do well,” ESU junior Shelbe Hughes said. “I think we all know we can do it every time.”
Matthew Hicks/Special to The Gazette
Emporia State’s April Huddleston makes a throw from her knees in the first inning of her team’s 11-2 victory over Washburn on Thursday in the second round of the MIAA Tournament in Shawnee. ESU’s Miranda Campell (3) is in the foreground.
“It’s been an incredible run,” Bredbenner added. “We’ve had a lot of luck up here. I just think the girls really get up for this type of competition.”
ESU left no doubt that it was the better team in its two games Thursday, getting production from its entire lineup in the blowout wins.
In Game One, the Hornets scored six runs off the long ball, as Jennifer Dace, April Huddleston, Campbell and Abby Smith all had home runs.
The Hornets put the game away in the sixth, sending 10 hitters to the plate in a six-run inning. Jessie Wiard, Angela Mahan, Dace and Campbell started the rally with consecutive one-out hits.
ESU had 14 hits in all, led by a 3-for-3 performance from Dace. Smith and Campbell added three RBI each.
“It’s gametime here,” Campbell said. “It’s a whole new season, a whole new everything. I think we started off right.”
The Hornets’ bats were even better against Washburn in Game Two.
After WU’s Mandy Tarbutton hit a home run that scraped the top of the fence and tied the score at 2 in the first, ESU responded with more firepower of its own.
Matthew Hicks/Special to The Gazette
Emporia State’s Jennifer Dace drives a home run to right field in the second inning of the Hornets’ 11-0 victory over Fort Hays State in Thursday’s opening round of the MIAA Tournament in Shawnee.
Campbell and Hughes came through with RBI hits in a three-run third, and Dace, Campbell, Huddleston and Hughes put together consecutive singles for four more runs in the fourth to make it 9-2.
ESU (38-15) tacked on two more in the sixth to put the run-rule into effect.
The Hornets followed up their 14-hit performance against Fort Hays State with a 16-hit effort against Washburn.
ESU’s No. 4-6 hitters of Campbell, Huddleston and Hughes were especially impressive, as they combined to go 8-for-9 with six RBI and five runs scored.
“This team’s ready to go,” Campbell said. “I think we’re hitting our stride at the right time.”
Samantha Sheeley picked up her second win of the day, allowing two runs in six innings against Washburn.
The MIAA Tournament schedule has changed somewhat because of weather delays on Thursday, as all games today were moved back two hours.
ESU’s game against Northwest was moved from noon to 2 p.m. today. The championship game will most likely take place on Saturday at noon, though there is a possibility that it could be tonight if the two teams agree to play it late.
Whatever the day, Bredbenner was expecting the same level of focus that she’d seen every time from her team at the MIAA Tournament.
Matthew Hicks/Special to The Gazette
The Emporia State softball team celebrates after receiving the MIAA regular-season championship trophy on Thursday before the MIAA Tournament in Shawnee. ESU won its third straight regular-season title this year with a 15-3 record in conference play.
“I think they still have something to prove,” Bredbenner said, “and they’re trying to do it every game.”
MIAA Tournament
Thursday at Shawnee
Game One
Fort Hays State 000 00 — 0 2 0
No. 12 ESU 311 6X — 11 14 1
W — Sheeley. L — Rockefeller.
E — ESU: Mahan. DP — Fort Hays State 1. LOB — Fort Hays State 3, ESU 4. 2B — ESU: Mahan, Campbell, Peters. HR — ESU: Dace, Campbell, Huddleston, Smith. SH — FHSU: Herl, Mohr. SB — ESU: Wiard 2. CS — FHSU: Herl; ESU: Hughes.
Game Two
Emporia State 11, Washburn 2
No. 12 ESU 203 402 — 11 16 0
Washburn 200 000 — 2 6 3
W — Sheeley. L — Long.
E — WU: DeVader, White, Fellers. DP — ESU 1. LOB — ESU 8, WU 6. 2B — ESU: Campbell 2. HR — WU: Tarbutton. HBP — WU: Williams. SH — ESU: Huddleston, Brattin. SF — ESU: Hughes. SB — ESU: Potter. CS — ESU: Bergley.
ESU puts 9 players
on All-MIAA team
Emporia State’s Samantha Sheeley and coach Kristi Bredbenner took top honors on Thursday as the conference announced its All-MIAA softball team.
Sheeley won the conference’s Pitcher of the Year award, while Bredbenner was honored as the league’s Coach of the Year.
Sheeley, who also was a unanimous selection on the MIAA’s first team, led the conference in wins (20) and opponent batting average (.155). She was second in strikeouts (9.5/7 innings pitched) and third in earned-run average (1.37).
Bredbenner, meanwhile, took the league’s coaching award after sharing the honor last year. ESU won its third straight regular-season title this season.
Other Hornets on the first team were shortstop April Huddleston and third baseman Miranda Campbell.
Huddleston hit .512 in 18 conference games, while Campbell was second in the league in on-base percentage (.503) and fourth in batting (.409).
First baseman Jennifer Dace and designated player Abby Smith were selected for the second team, while pitcher Megan Dennis, catcher Aubree Brattin, outfielder Jenna Potter and outfielder Jessie Wiard all earned honorable mention.
Truman’s Christen Belcher was the MIAA’s Player of the Year, while Missouri Western’s Allison Jones was Freshman of the Year.
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