KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - The Truman Softball team had to hold on to game one and then needed to rally in game two, both missions accomplished, and they came away with a doubleheader sweep of Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Southwest Baptist on Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs won game one 7-6 before walking off game two after being down to their final out 6-5. Truman will travel to Northwest Missouri for a non-conference twin bill on Wednesday before returning home for league games next weekend against Illinois Springfield and Lewis University.
Game 1: Truman State 7, Southwest Baptist 6
Mackenzie West hit a grand slam in the fourth inning and needed all of those runs to hold up in the one-run victory.
Truman spotted the Bearcats two runs in the top of the first and responded immediately.
Macy Taylor led off and laid down a bunt single, after reaching the base, the ball sailed into right field and Taylor turned on the jets. She would touch them all to cut the lead quickly in half.
The next two Bulldogs got hit by pitches and eventually pinch runner Madi McCarty scored on a fielding error by the Bearcat third baseman.
Truman grabbed the led in the third when with the bases loaded, Lauren Stade lofted a sac fly foul ball to left that plated Alex Beard.
The Bulldogs did all the damage in the fourth with two outs. Emily Eberwine singled followed by Cameryn Patterson, Beard walked to bring in West whose high fly had enough juice to get over the left center field fence for the slam.
The Bearcats responded in the fifth with three of their own. West was summoned into pitch in relief of Annabel Zimmer but walked the first two batters she faced. A wild pitch ended up being the big play of the inning as the runner from third scored but Truman managed to record the out on the Bearcat caught in a pickle between second and third.
A leadoff walk in the seventh came into score off an infielder error and after a sac bunt moved the tying runner into scoring position, Brooke Nutter got the flyout for the save.
Game 2: Truman State 6, Southwest Baptist 5
Truman did early damage with three runs in the second inning with Stade and Maria McGonegle delivering RBI hits.
The Bearcats grabbed one back in the third and a two-out double in the fifth tied the game at three each.
SBU scored two straight runs on infield groundouts in the sixth to go up 5-3.
Stade flew out to right center with West on second base. West tagged up and the throw hit her helmet to get away allowing her to score to make it 5-4 Bulldogs.
Truman got a double play to end the top of the seventh with the final out recorded at home on another infield ground ball.
The first two were quickly retired for Truman in their half of the seventh. Macy Taylor, blooped a ball that touched fair and had spin that scooted away from the fielder in left. She again raced around the bases and ended up at third representing the tying run. Unrein followed and hit a rocket that bounced up on the shortstop into short center field which tied the game at five.
The next hitter was Beard and she laced a ball into right center field. Unrein slid into third but the ball again got away from the fielder and she would touch home with the winning run.
Nutter got the win in relief of Breianna Klein while Taylor, West and Beard collected two hit each.
