St. Anne, Mo., April 14, 2021 – The Westminster College softball team was back in action on the road on Wednesday night in St. Louis against the Fontbonne University Griffins. The Griffins went on the attack in game one winning 10-1 but the Blue Jays would come fighting back in game two. The back and forth affair saw the Jays come out on top 9-8 to earn the split. The split put the Blue Jay record at 12-14 overall and 5-3 in conference play.
Game 1 BOXSCORE
Game one got off to a rocky start for the Blue Jays as the Griffins plated four runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back on the way to a 10-1 win.
The Blue Jays scored their lone run in the 2nd inning when Mackenzie Myers Doubled to center field to lead off the inning. She advanced to third on a fly ball out and then came home on a Kasey Ginder RBI single to make it 4-1.
Emily Esquivel, Myers and Ginder each had a hit to pace the Blue Jay offense. Katie Price (6-6) pitched 5 innings giving up 10 runs, 6 of which were earned, on 9 hits. She walked no one and struck out 3 in suffering the loss.
Game 2 BOXSCORE
Game two would start a little differently as both teams went quietly in the first two innings. Fontbonne would strike for a single run thanks to an error and an RBI single in the bottom of the 3rd to take a 1-0 lead.
The Blue Jays would start to get things going in the top of the 4th inning. Laney Rosson would lead off the inning with a single to center field and Brooke Laidley would follow with another single and the Jays were in business. Katie Price would move the runners up and then Myers would deliver an RBI single to left. Myers would then steal second and Eva Gannon would reach on an error by the third baseman to load the bases. Ginder would then drive in a run by grounding into a fielder's choice to make it 2-1 in favor of the Jays. Then Ginder would steal second and Myers would come home on the throw. The final run of the inning scored on a throwing error by the third baseman to make the score 4-1.
The Griffins would retake the lead in the bottom half of the 4th inning when they scored 5 runs on 4 hits and one error. After four innings of play the Griffins would lead 6-4.
In the top of the 5th inning Myers would be at it again driving in two runs with a double to right to tie the score at 6-6. Gannon would drive in the go ahead run with a ground out to second base. The final run came in on an RBI single by Ginder to center field to make it 8-6 in favor of the Blue Jays.
The Griffins would see fit to tie the game up in the bottom of the fifth with a home run and an error. It would go into the 7th inning still tied at 8-8.
The Blue Jays would get busy in the top of the 7th to try to get the go ahead run. It would of course start with another Myers base hit. She would eventually come around to score the go ahead and eventual winning run on an RBI ground out to shortstop by Jenae Shirk. Erin Carr would work a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to complete the win and earn the doubleheader split. The win improved the Jays record to 12-14 overall and 5-3 in the SLIAC.
The Blue Jays were led by Myers who went 3-3 with three RBI's. Rosson would contribute two hits in the game. Carr (4-8) worked 7 innings giving up 8 runs, 3 earned, on 9 hits. She walked three and struck out one on the way to earning the win.
The Blue Jays will now return home on Saturday for a doubleheader against Simpson College. The team will celebrate senior day in between the two games. The games are scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. first pitches.
