LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Spalding University softball team opened conference play winning both games of their doubleheader against MacMurray College, 8-0 and 7-6. With the win the Golden Eagles improve to 3-7 overall and 2-0 in conference.
The Golden Eagles rolled to an 8-0 victory in the 1:00 p.m. game scoring eight runs on nine hits.
Three SU players finished with multiple hits.
Kaytlyn Mitchell led the Golden Eagles going a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBIs.
Kelci Flener (2-2) had an impressive performance in the circle pitching a complete game shutout, holding the Highlanders to one hit, while striking out 10 batters.
After a scoreless first inning the Golden Eagles got on the board scoring three runs in the second inning and tacked on four runs in the third. In the second, a Mitchell triple scored
Caroline Hale and
Amanda Gilliland, and
Brooke Conder doubled to drive in Mitchell. In the third,
Kelci Flener reached on a double, then advanced to third and scored on a pair of passed balls. Later in the inning, Gilliland raced home following a wild pitch to score her second run of the night, and Mitchell capped off the scoring driving in Hale and Gilliland for her third and fourth RBIs of the game.
SU's final run came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Mitchell ripped a double allowing
Alyssa McAfee to score from second to make the final score 8-0.
In the three o'clock game, the Golden Eagles withstood a late rally by the Highlanders to hang on for a 7-6 win.
Spalding racked up 13 hits. Gilliland and Conder both had perfect games at the plate. Gilliland went 4-for-4 with 2 RBIs, while Conder went 3-for-3 with an RBI.
Robyn Schoen (1-3) earned her first win of the season, allowing three runs, two earned while walking one.
Kelci Flener came on in the seventh to retire the side earning her first save of the season.
MacMurry got on the board in the first inning when a Daerial DeGroot double scored Natalie Foster from first. Spalding answered with two runs in the home half of the inning. A wild pitch allowed
Shelby Kilgore to score from third, and a Gilliland RBI single sent Flener home.
The Highlanders plated two runs in the second to take a one run lead at 3-2. Stephanie Watkins singled allowing Wilson and Walton to score, but was thrown out at second to end the inning.
The Spalding bats came alive in the fifth scoring five runs to pull ahead, 8-3. A Gilliland double scored Flener to knot the score at 3-3. A trio of singles by
Brooke Lamon, Mitchell and Conder each drove in a run, and Flener was plunked by a pitch with bases loaded bringing home Kilgore for the Eagles final run of the game.
Spalding held Mac scoreless the next three innings, but Highlanders threatened with three runs in the seventh to cut Spalding's lead to one run. However, Flener came on to strikeout the final batter and SU escaped with the win.
Spalding will be back in action Sunday, March 22 when they host a doubleheader with Webster University at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. EST.
