Archive for the ‘Softball’ Category

What was thought to be a day of celebration on Saturday, Apr. 26 for the six Griffon softball seniors ended up being an unfinished second game due to weather and a collision between two teammates.

The Griffons (24-21) took on the Northwest Bearcats (21-18) on a very stormy Saturday afternoon, trying to payback for the 15-8 loss earlier in the season..

The first game was a story of simply getting the ball on the bat. The Griffons had a tough time getting hits, and when they did get hits they went right to the defense. The Griffons actually made contact 4 times compared to the Bearcats 2. Yet Northwest was able to capitalize and score their only run, which was the run to decide the game.
In the top of the fifth inning, two Griffons, Senior Becky Diehl and Junior Brittany Douglas collided, giving Diehl a concussion and Douglas a broken leg.

Carla Anderson pitches the ball during Western’s softball game last weekend. Photo | Sara Baum

Senior Allison Jones was also pitching a great game with no walks, four strike-outs, and two hits, on her way to her 69th complete game in her career.

All was going well for Missouri Western, until it had to rain on the seniors’ parade. The rest of the game was cancelled due to the rain causing the field to be un-playable and will be rescheduled.

After losing their first game of the double header, having two fellow team mates injured in a collision trying to make a play and having their second game rescheduled, senior Allison Jones didn’t let it ruin her senior day.

“The weather was pretty frustrating, but it being senior day it makes you realize how few games you have left,” Jones said.

The season isn’t over though. The Griffons are confident coming into the last stretch of games before conference play begins and hope to play their best softball during that time.

“I think we are very confident going into the last few games,” Jones said. “We have started to play one out at a time, one inning at a time, one game at a time. We are starting fresh and conference tourney is the perfect time to show everyone how we really play.”

The red hot, 7th ranked Emporia State Hornets swept the Griffon softball team in a double header Tuesday afternoon.

Western knew coming into the game that they were going to have to shut down one of the best offenses in the conference in two games and were simply not able to. Errors and missed opportunities plagued the Griffons in both games of the double header.

After two first inning errors, the Griffons found themselves in an early 2-0 hole and were able to bounce back to load the bases in the bottom half of the inning.

Western left the bases loaded and weren’t able to push a run across until the fourth inning, but the Hornets already had a commanding 6-1 lead.

The lone bright spot of the first game for Western was Toni Dance blasting her sixth homerun of the season in the bottom of the seventh inning. Allison Jones was the losing pitcher in game one as she falls to 8-6 on the season.

Game two was another verse of the same song for Western, as they committed six errors that the Hornets never hesitated to jump on and take a 3-0 lead. After scoring a run in the second and third inning, the Griffons were able to cut the lead to one, but the errors hurt them again when two more errors allowed Emporia to extend their lead to 7-2 and eventually win the game 13-2.

Jonnelle Belger took the loss in the game, falling to 10-8 after giving up 11 hits and six earned runs as she struck out one batter.

“We were definitely hoping for more from JB in the second game, but we also have to be able to make plays behind her,” head coach Jen Bagley said.

The Griffons were never in the second game because of all the errors committed. Several were committed on routine ground balls.

“I think we just need to believe that we can play with the best of them and stop making so many mental mistakes in the field,” catcher Keri Lorbert said.

Western struggled with getting runners in to score also as they left 12 runners on base in the first game but they can take away a positive from the game. Western managed 11 hits against the 7th ranked Hornets.

“We just need to get stronger defensively and we will be just fine,” pitcher Jonnelle Belger said.

Western will need to improve their defense if they hope to make the regional tournament. The latest rankings showed the Griffons ranked ninth and they will need to finish strong their last 10 games to have a chance to make the tournament.

The Griffons will be in action again this weekend against Northwest and Nebraska-Omaha.

The Missouri Western softball team were able to win both games against Lincoln University at Heritage Park last Tuesday.
Read more: Softball dominates Lincoln, moves to third in MIAA

The Missouri Western Griffons split a double header with the Washburn Lady Blues on Friday at Heritage Park.

In the first game, the Griffons had no trouble runs as they beat Washburn 9-0 in five innings.

The Griffons had twelve hits in the game. Left fielder Toni Dance had three of them, which improved her batting average to .333.

Samantha Hudson and Toni Dance lead the team each driving in two runs. The Lady Blues just couldn’t figure out pitcher Jonnelle Belger, as they managed only hits in her complete game shutout.

Senior Sam Buchanan bunts the ball during Western’s double header against Washburn. The Griffons split the games 1-1. Photo Sara Baum

The Griffons started out on fire, scoring four runs in the first inning and then carried that momentum for the rest of the game. Jonnelle Belger improved to (6-6) on the year and lowered her era to 3.37. She was also able to get four strikeouts and gave up two walks. The Griffons improved to 13-10 and 1-0 in the MIAA.

Extra innings were needed in the second game of the double header, but the Griffons weren’t so lucky in this one, falling 3-1 to the Washburn Lady Blues.
The hot bats that the Griffons had in the first game fell cold in the second, as they were only able to come up with five hits.

Washburn pitcher Kayla Long pitched strong in this game, going seven innings, giving up the one earned run, with two walks and a strikeout. The one run came on a Toni Dance bomb over the left field wall.

“It’s just pretty much about having fun,” Dance said. “Sure, sometimes you’re just not seeing the ball, but if you’re not having fun then it doesn’t really work for you.”

There was very little action in the in the first three and a half innings of the game, as the two teams combined for just five hits and no runs. Western starter Allison Jones pitched strong, going seven innings but gave up the three runs over the last two innings.

“I felt like I pitched a lot better today,” Jones said. “I’ve been struggling and I felt like today was just a stepping stone to work my way back to the top.”

But Jones’s effort fell a little short. According to head coach Jen Bagley, the team’s inconsistent play was part of the reason for the loss.

“When you go out and beat a team 9-0 and then come back and lose 3-1 that speaks a lot to your team’s consistency,” Bagley said.

After this loss, the Griffons move to 13-11 and 1-1 in the MIAA. The Griffons will be back in action this Friday, April 2, in a double header against Fort Hays at 4 p.m.