BRANSON, Mo. – The Truman State softball team went 1-3 at the D2 Branson Battle over the weekend, with wins and losses split evenly between Thursday and Friday. The Bulldogs defeated Christian Brothers University 5-0 on Thursday but dropped games to Northwest Missouri State 7-1, Winona State 3-2, and Arkansas Tech 4-0.
Thursday, February 12
Northwest Missouri State 7, Truman State 1
Truman State battled against a strong Northwest Missouri State squad in the tournament opener, falling 7-1 on Thursday.
The Bearcats struck quickly in the first inning when Cords homered to left field, scoring three runs. Northwest Missouri State extended their lead in the bottom of the third inning after Cords singled down the left field line and Darnell walked, each scoring one run.
Minarik added a two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the fourth for Northwest Missouri State.
Moore earned the win for the Bearcats, surrendering three hits and one run over seven innings while striking out two and walking three.
Lydia Feiste started for Truman State, going two and one-third innings and striking out three. Brooke Nutter provided solid relief work, pitching three and two-thirds innings while striking out three and limiting the damage to two runs (one earned).
Jayda Long, Lydia Feiste, and Riley Redig each collected one hit for Truman State. Long went 1-for-2 at the plate and drove in the Bulldogs' run.
Cords led Northwest Missouri State with four runs batted in, going 2-for-3 on the day. Cords, Minarik, and Love each collected two hits for the Bearcats.
Truman State 5, Christian Brothers 0
Jayda Long bounced back from the opening loss to throw a complete game shutout, leading Truman State to a 5-0 victory over Christian Brothers University on Thursday.
Truman State got on the board in the first inning when Avaree Taylor singled, scoring one run.
The Bulldogs broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning on four hits. Kyleia Salyars hit a solo home run to left field, an error scored two runs, and Taylor doubled to score another run.
Hurley took the loss for Christian Brothers. The hurler surrendered six hits and five runs (two earned) over four and one-third innings, striking out two and walking none.
Taylor led Truman State with two runs batted in, going 2-for-3 on the day. Brooke Nutter, Taylor, and Cassie Smith each collected two hits for the Bulldogs. Truman State turned one double play in the game.
Harmon and Davis each collected one hit for Christian Brothers.
Friday, February 13
Winona State 3, Truman State 2
In a pitcher's duel on Friday, Truman State battled Winona State to the wire before falling 3-2 in a closely contested game.
Truman State jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning when Madison Kluever delivered a key single, scoring two runs.
Winona State fought back to tie the game at two in the bottom of the third when Soderbeck hit into a fielder's choice. The Warriors edged ahead with a single in the sixth inning to take the lead for good.
Howe earned the win for Winona State. The righty allowed five hits and two runs over seven innings, striking out 11 and walking one.
Madison Kluever turned in a strong performance in the circle for Truman State, going five and one-third innings while allowing three runs (two earned) on nine hits and striking out five without issuing a walk. She also led the offense with two runs batted in, going 1-for-3 at the plate.
Cassie Smith was productive at the top of the lineup, leading the Bulldogs with two hits in three at bats. Truman State turned one double play in the game. Truman State turned one double play in the game.
Soderbeck led Winona State with two runs batted in, going 1-for-3 on the day. Mancuso, Woelfel, and James each collected two hits for the Warriors.
Arkansas Tech 4, Truman State 0
Truman State put together quality at-bats and solid defensive play in the tournament finale, but came up short against Arkansas Tech 4-0 on Friday.
Arkansas Tech broke through in the fourth inning with a run scored on an error.
Richarde earned the win for Arkansas Tech, allowing five hits over five and one-third innings while striking out three. Womack started the game for the Golden Suns, allowing one hit over one and two-thirds innings while walking four.
Jayda Long delivered another solid pitching performance for Truman State, going five and two-thirds innings and giving up just three runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out one.
Emily Wood and Cali Coombs each collected two hits to lead the Bulldogs' offensive effort. Truman State showed patience at the plate, drawing four walks throughout the game.
Madewell and Wilhelm each drove in one run for Arkansas Tech. The Golden Suns ran wild on the base paths, piling up three stolen bases for the game.
TOURNAMENT SUMMARY
Truman State finished 1-3 at the D2 Branson Battle, featuring a dominant shutout victory over Christian Brothers University and competitive performances in the other three contests. The Bulldogs showed resilience throughout the tournament, with strong pitching performances and solid defensive play.
Offensive Leaders:
Pitching Performances:
- Jayda Long: Complete game shutout vs. Christian Brothers (6 hits, 0 runs)
- Madison Kluever: 5.1 IP vs. Winona State (9 hits, 3 runs, 5 strikeouts)
- Jayda Long: 5.2 IP vs. Arkansas Tech (6 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run)
Up Next:
Truman State will travel to the Rosemont Dome Tournament hosted by Lewis University with two games each day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday's matchups feature Grand Valley State and Minnesota-Duluth. Saturday will see the Bulldogs go up against Concordia-St. Paul and St. Cloud State. Finally, Sunday's games will be against Hillsdale and a rematch against Winona State.
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