When a team has won 18 straight games, as Emporia State’s softball team now has, it’s tough to find any flaws.
Shortstop Abby Hughes noticed one: her team was not finishing games well. With a highlight-reel double play that Hughes had a huge part in to keep Missouri Southern off the scoreboard, and one swing of the bat that ended the day on Friday, Hughes helped the Hornets to a fantastic finish.
Hughes’ solo home run in the sixth inning gave the Hornets an 8-0 run-rule win over Missouri Southern, capping another two-game sweep — ESU won Game One 11-4.
“I was just trying to hit a ground ball up the middle; I’d been popping up the last couple at-bats,” Hughes said. “I was just really thinking, keep my hands high, stay on top, and just trying to get on base. And it just happens.”
Yeah, home runs just happen. Guess that’s when you know everything is going right for a team, as it is for the seventh-ranked Hornets these days.
The Hornets were dominant in every facet of the game against the Lions. They pitched well, with freshman Paige Ladenburger allowing just one run on two hits in four solid innings of work in Game One.
Ladenburger pitched her second straight doubleheader as the No. 1 starter, and Jennifer Heerey moved to No. 2, but Heerey looked more like No. 1A in Game Two.
The sophomore mixed her pitches on both sides of the plate, kept the Lions off balance and was untouchable until the fifth inning.
“I just take one batter at a time and don’t take anyone lightly,” Heerey said. “Everyone is a good hitter, so I just have to go at every single batter.”
That approach had Heerey pitching a no-hitter until the fifth when Missouri Southern finally got in the hit column.
With two outs, Southern’s Breanna Volkmann got a hit that fell just in front of center fielder Jenna Potter. Natalie Nelson followed with another single, but Heerey kept the Lions scoreless by getting a ground ball to end the inning.
With the no-hitter no longer a possibility, ESU coach Kristi Bredbenner decided to give her bullpen a chance. With a big lead, she did the same in Game One, and freshman Lauren Sharp allowed three runs in three innings.
Freshman Karley Schmelzer got the ball in the sixth inning of Game Two, and she also started off a little slowly, walking the first two batters.
That’s when Hughes stepped in to help the freshman out of a jam. Southern’s Dawn Grass hit the ball up the middle and it deflected off Schmelzer. Hughes made the adjustment, fielded the ball, stepped on second and delivered a one-hop throw to Katie Huffman that she dug out of the dirt for a double play.
“If it wasn’t for Katie, I thought I was going to throw it away and they were going to score,” Hughes said. “It just shows you how much teamwork matters in this game, and our team, we’ve come together really well.”
Schmelzer kept the Lions scoreless by getting the next batter to ground out, and the Hornets went into the bottom of the inning needing two runs to end it. Angela Mahan led off with a double, stole third and scored on an errant throw by the catcher, and then Hughes ended it with her shot to left.
Hughes, Mahan, Miranda Campbell and Linda Ketter all had two hits apiece in Game Two, and Hughes had a game-best three RBIs.
Campbell provided the most pop in the first game, going 3 for 4 with five RBIs. She also hit her 10th home run of the season, a towering three-run shot to left. Hughes also had two hits in the first game and she scored twice.
The Hornets (29-7, 7-0 MIAA) remained the only team in the MIAA with a perfect record, and for another day, they pitched, fielded, hit and even finished like a first-place team.
“That’s what every good team has to do,” Bredbenner said. “The pitching just can’t show up and the hitting takes a break. It’s everything and putting it all together at the same time. I think we’re doing a good job. Today was a good example of all of that.”
Game One
Missouri Southern 010 030 0 — 4 4 4
Emporia State 033 500 X — 11 10 1
WP — Ladenburger. LP — Bax.
E — MS: Brooks, Clute, Bomak, Nelson; ESU: Hughes. DP — ESU 1. LOB —MS 4, ESU 4. 2B — MS: Roark; ESU: Mahan, Hughes, Self, Ketter. HR — ESU: Campbell. SH — MS: Nelson; ESU: Self. SB — ESU: Hughes.
Game Two
Missouri Southern 000 000 — 0 2 4
Emporia State 220 202 — 8 9 0
WP — Heerey. LP — Clute.
E — MS: Brooks, Turner, Clute, Nelson. DP — ESU 1. LOB — MS 5, ESU 6. 2B — ESU: Mahan 2, Campbell. HR — ESU: Hughes. HBP — ESU: Self. SH — ESU: Brewer. SF — ESU: Hughes. SB — ESU: Mahan, Hughes. CS — Campbell.