ROLLA, Mo. - The Truman State Softball team used the long ball in game two to earn a conference-opening split with Missouri S&T on Sunday afternoon. The Miners took game one 7-5 but the Bulldogs knocked a pair of grand slams in game two to win 12-3.
Truman State will return to action on Monday in St. Louis as the scheduled home game with Maryville was pushed to the Gateway city due to field conditions. First pitch is slated for noon.
Game 1: Missouri S&T 7, Truman State 5
The opener saw the Bulldogs get off on the right foot as Emma Walbert drew a leadoff walk and Callie Unrein followed with an RBI triple to center field. As McKenzie West drew a walk, Unrein scored on a wild pitch for a 2-0 lead.
The Miners got one back in their half of the first but then scored five times in the second inning aided by four bases on balls and a hit by pitch to go up 6-2. A two-out single in the third made it 7-2 in favor of the home squad.
Cameryn Patterson brought Truman back to within striking distance as she belted a three-run homer in the fifth to score Brieanna Klein and Maria McGonegle but S&T hurler Bryn Wooldridge retired the final six hitters to preserve the complete game win.
Game 2: Truman State 12, Missouri S&T 3
Grand slams from Unrein and Lauren Stade accounted for eight of the 12 runs in the 12-3 win.
Both teams stranded runners in the first while the second began with Patterson drawing a leadoff walk. Stade followed and got on base when the second baseman botched a sac bunt attempt. Kayla Quanstrum walked after an infield pop out to load the bases.
Shelby Webster took one for the team as she was hit by a pitch to put Truman State up 1-0. Following a fielders choice at home for the second out, Unrein uncorked the slam to make it 5-0.
S&T took advantage of a Bulldog error in the third and scored a pair of runs to make it 5-2. However Truman loaded the bases in the fourth with three walks and Patterson getting drilled by a pitch for a 6-2 lead. The next hitter was Stade and she brought everyone home with her grand slam and a 10-2 lead.
The Miners pushed one across in the fifth but Patterson plated Klein with a double and Ellie Weltha singled for her first RBI of the season to make it the final of 12-3.
Klein followed starter Annabel Zimmer to the circle and pitched the final four innings to pick up the victory.
