The William Jewell softball team hosted Saint Joseph's College for a Great Lakes Valley Conference double header on Sunday afternoon at the Spratt Sports Complex. The Cardinals took game one 8-2 before a seventh inning rally in the nightcap came up just short and fell 8-7. Jewell now stands at 12-14 overall and 4-4 in GLVC play.
GAME ONE | Cardinals 8 - Saint Joseph's 2
In the opener, the Cardinals jumped on Saint Joseph's starter Sara Demuth early with four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Madelynne Greenstreet led off with a single up the middle, followed by a walk to
Sydne Brashear and
Brooke Bernard reaching on a hit-by-pitch to load the bases. With one out,
Madi Giles was also hit with a pitch and recorded a hard earned RBI to help the Cards crack the scoreboard.
Taylor Alarcon and
Kelsey Morgan each followed with RBI singles to make it 4-0 Jewell after just one inning.
The Pumas got on the board in the top of the third scoring on a ground out and added a run on a solo shot in the fourth by Jordan Schneider.
In the bottom fo the fourth the Cardinals responded with two runs as Morgan doubled and came around to score on a Saint Joseph's throwing error.
Lindsay Glynn reached on a fielder's choice later in the frame and scored on another Puma error to give Jewell a 6-2 lead.
The Cards added two more in the bottom of the sixth with Brashear scoring on Bernard's double to left center, followed by yet another throwing error which allowed
Madesen Gage to cross the plate.
The Cardinals out hit Saint Joseph's 8-6 led by two each from Morgan and Giles. Morgan also posted two RBI.
Anna Biondo (9-3) was again masterful in the circle, tossing her eighth complete game, allowing just six hits and two earned runs while striking out eight.
GAME TWO | Cardinals 7 - Saint Joseph's 8
The finale between the Cardinals and Pumas was a back-and-forth affair all the way until the last out. The two teams combined for 28 hits and five errors on through seven innings.
Saint Joseph's scored quickly with a double and RBI single in the opening inning to take an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, Jewell tied the game on a single up the middle from Morgan which scored Alarcon.
Both teams scored a single run in the third inning as Bernard touched the plate on a single from Giles to make it 2-2.
Three innings later, the Pumas scored on a squeeze bunt single from Zoee Anderson to regain the lead. In the bottom half of the frame, the Cardinals rallied and took their first lead of the game as
Emily Hoover reached on a fielder's choice and scored on a triple from Giles. Alarcon then singled to shortstop to give Jewell a 4-3 advantage.
In the top of the sixth things began to unravel for the Cardinal defense as the Pumas scored five runs on five hits and an error.
Trailing 8-4, with a runner on base, and down to their final out, the Cardinals rallied and scored three runs. Glynn, Greenstreet, and
Sarah Lewis recorded three consecutive RBI singles before a pop up ended the rally with the tying run standing 60 feet away.
Of the 28 total hits, 16 belonged to the Cardinals, who also committed four errors. Morgan was a perfect 4-for-4 on the game while Giles also had three hits and two RBI.
Lewis (2-4) suffered the loss in the circle going 3.1 innings in relief, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, and a walk, while striking out five. Greenstreet was the starter and received a no decision after 3.2 innings of work, giving up one earned on four hits and four walks.
UP NEXT:
Next week the Cardinals will step out of GLVC play for midweek contest with Emporia State. The Hornets come to the Spratt Sports Complex on Wednesday with first pitch set for 2:00 p.m. and can be seen live on the GLVC Sports Network. Over the weekend Jewell will host GLVC opponents Maryville and Missouri-St. Louis.
