BENTONVILLE, Ark. – The Truman State Softball team fell 9-1 to Arkansas Tech in the opener but bounced back and held on for an 18-17 win over Northeastern State to close the opening weekend of play. Sunday's games were cancelled due to the projected weather forecast in the northwest Arkansas area.
The Bulldogs return to action on February 18-19 in Sioux Center, Iowa, indoors with doubleheaders against Winona (Minn.) State and Southwest Minnesota State.
Arkansas Tech 9, Truman State 1
Three home runs by Arkansas Tech propelled the Golden Suns to a 9-1 win in five innings to open play on Saturday.
Nina Fenasci cut the ATU lead in half with a solo shot in the third inning but the Golden Suns got the run right back in their half of the frame.
ATU would pick up a solo home run in the fourth, scored a pair of runs with no one out in the fifth then dealt the knockout blow with a three-run dinger.
Fenasci had both Truman hits in the game.
Truman State 18, Northeastern (Okla.) State. 17
Emily Wood's fifth hit of the game ended up being the biggest of the day in a wild 18-17 win over Northeastern (Okla.) State and former assistant coach Rachel Rhode. Wood's solo home run in the bottom of the sixth capped a 5-for-5 game at the plate but more importantly put the Bulldogs up 18-15.
The Riverhawks hit two of their five home runs in the game in the top of the seventh as their comeback attempt fell just short.
The Bulldogs fell behind 4-1 after an inning and a half but exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the second inning. After the leadoff hitter grounded out, ten straight Truman players reached base with six singles, two doubles and a two-run homer by
Sofia Birkenholz to stake the Bulldogs out to a 10-4 lead.
The teams exchanged a pair of runs in the third and after the Riverhawks put up another deuce in the fourth, the Bulldogs scored five times with
Cassie Smith and
Cameryn Patterson connecting on a pair of two-run doubles. Truman had a 17-8 lead after four.
NSU would score three times in the fifth to keep the game alive then pulled even closer with four in the sixth to make the score 17-15.
Wood led off the bottom of the sixth with a solo shot which proved pivotal. Two of the first three hitters for NSU knocked solo home runs to make it 18-17 but
Charlotte Chelich returned to the circle and picked up strikeout for out two and then the final out was made when a ball was hit by the batter outside the batters box.
Truman belted 19 hits with five from Wood, four from Smith and three from Patterson.
