Box Scores: TSU vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State | TSU vs. Rockhurst
Season Stats
JOPLIN, Mo. - - The Truman softball team closed out the Missouri Southern Border Battle with a split on Sunday afternoon, dropping an 8-4 decision to Southeastern Oklahoma State before breaking out the bats in a 13-5 romp of Rockhurst (Mo.) in the finale. Laura Miller had six hits and drove in five runs on the day.
The runs came in bunches early during Sunday's first game, as all but one of the game's tallies came across in the first four innings. Back-to-back doubles by Miller and Christine Ulses in the top of the second inning tied the score against the Savage Storm at one, before SEOSU went back ahead, 3-1, in their half of the inning.
The 'Dogs then brought home three in the top of the third, crossing Alex Weber on an SEOSU error in front of a two-run Miller blast to score both Miller and Mary Manley. However, the 4-3 lead was short-lived, as the Storm scored one in the bottom of the third and broke the game open with a three-run fifth before adding an insurance run in the sixth for the 8-4 win.
Miller went 3-for-3 in the No. 5 spot, while Kelsey Bollman pounded a triple and a single for a pair of hits of her own. Beth Schnurbusch (2-2) took the loss for Truman, giving up seven runs in four innings while striking out four. Ashley Rotkvich entered in relief and pitched the final two innings, allowing one run.
Truman and Rockhurst traded big innings in the tournament finale, as the Bulldogs went ahead both 2-0 and 5-2 before the Hawks rebounded each time to match the purple and white. After Rotkvich tripled in the second to drive home two, the Bulldogs ripped three extra-base hits in the third, including another leadoff triple for Bollman, a Manley RBI double and an RBI triple for Bridget Schade, to go ahead by three.
Following Rockhurst plating three unearned runs in their half of the fourth, the teams played evenly to the bottom of the fifth when Truman coupled nine hits and two RU errors to score eight and end the game by run-rule. The 'Dogs dismantled Rockhurst methodically in the inning, going station to station with eight of their hits coming via singles, all surrounding a Miller triple to end the game in defense of Kirsten Krause. Krause (1-0) came on in relief of Rotkvich in the top of the fourth to pitch a scoreless inning and a third to earn her first win.
The Bulldogs will stay in the southwest Missouri area for a doubleheader tomorrow (Monday, Feb. 28) afternoon against Drury (Mo.) University. Live stats will be available via TrumanBulldogs.com for the doubleheader, which starts at 2 pm in Springfield.
