KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Behind Alyssa Hajduk's complete-game victory in game one, the Truman State University softball team defeated William Jewell, 6-2, in the first of two on Sunday afternoon. However, the Cardinals came back from a deficit twice in the nightcap and handed the Bulldogs a 5-4, walk-off defeat for the series split. This season, the Purple and White have already played seven games that were decided by one run and own a record of 4-3 in those contests.

Truman now sits at 9-7 on the year, 2-2 in GLVC play and comes home for its next six games in a row. On the other side, William Jewell is 15-9 overall and 2-2 in league action. After a 10-day break away from games from March 4-14, the Bulldogs had a busy schedule this week with six games and just as many splits.

Sunday against William Jewell, Brooke VunCannon (pictured) paced the offense with four hits in her seven at-bats to go with a run scored, two RBI, four total bases, and a walk. After making 43 starts as a freshman in 2016, VunCannon was in the starting lineup just seven times as a sophomore last season. So far this spring, the Independence, Mo. native has started 12 of the team's 16 games and looks to be playing for keeps. VunCannon is hitting a cool .368, which is second on the squad, and is doing that while playing in the outfield, something she had never done until this season.

In game one, William Jewell struck first with a run in the first inning and another in the fourth. Truman had quite the answer, though, with a six spot in the top of the fifth. That frame, Christa Reisinger doubled in a pair and VunCannon brought in Reisinger with a fielder's choice bunt before Jamie Fowle, Ashley Murphy and Morgan McMahan each notched an RBI as well.

That was all the run support that Hajduk (7-1) needed and more. Hajduk went the distance for the second time this year and sixth time in her career with two earned runs allowed on eight hits, six walks and six strikeouts.

In the nightcap, Sydney Scherzinger's second career home run, a three-run blast to left field, gave the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage in the top of the second. The Cardinals proceeded to put up one run in the fourth and two in the fifth to knot the score up at 3-3. Two innings later in the top of the seventh, VunCannon came through with an RBI single right back up the middle, Reisinger touched the dish and the Purple and White had themselves a 4-3 lead. However, Lauren Dale (1-5) couldn't hold the lead for Truman as William Jewell scored two runs in the bottom half and walked it off.

Dale allowed five runs, three earned, on 10 hits with just one free pass and three punchouts.

Next up, Truman will take a break from its GLVC schedule by hosting Lincoln in a doubleheader on Wednesday with game one set for 2 p.m.

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