FULTON, Mo. – Facing elimination, the Spalding softball team won two games Saturday advancing to the SLIAC championship bracket Sunday afternoon. The Golden Eagles took game one, 6-4, over Iowa Wesleyan and knocked out Greenville, 9-6, in game two.
 
GAME ONE
SPALDING 6 – IOWA WESLEYAN 4
Squaring off against conference pitcher of the year, Morgan Christner, the Golden Eagles came out swinging plating four runs in the bottom of the second inning. A Brooke Smith single to left field drove in Addie Morris for the first run of the game. SU added a run on an Ally Klein single bring around Avery Morris from second. Jennifer Peffley highlighted the inning with a two-run triple to right center scoring Smith and Klein. The Tigers responded with four unanswered runs to even the score at four runs apiece.  In the top of the third, Emmy Rodriguez got the Tigers on the board with a solo home run, and Rodriguez capped off the IWU run with a RBI sac bunt to tie the game in the top of the fifth. The game turned into a pitchers dual, with neither team recording a hit over the final two innings of regulation. Iowa Wesleyan threatened in the top of the eighth as Rodriguez reached on an error and navigated around to third on a sac bunt and groundout, but shortstop Alex Eyman flied out to centerfield. The Golden Eagles headed into the home half of the inning with a chance to walk it off. Mac Henderson singled up the middle and head coach Art Williams brought on Kailey Reed to run for her. Reed moved to second following an Addie Morris sac bunt bringing up Avery Morris. The freshman stepped to the plate, watched the first pitch for a ball, then unloaded on the second pitch sending it over the fence in right field for a two-run walk-off home run to push SU past Iowa Wesleyan, 6-4.
 
NOTABLE STATS
Olivia Carter (14-6) earned the win, holding the Tigers to four runs, two earned, on seven hits, while striking out three batters. Avery Morris led the Golden Eagles at the plate going 3-for-4 with two-RBIs and a home run. Peffley and Klein each finished 2-for-4, with Peffley driving in two runs and Klein driving in one.
 
GAME TWO
SPALDING 9 – GREENVILLE 6
The Golden Eagles took control of game two early jumping out to an 8-0 lead. In the top of the second, Brooke Smith's two-RBI single drove in Henderson and Jaycee Head for Spalding's first two runs of the game. SU added three runs in the third inning, the first coming on a passed ball that allowed Grace Sweat to score and Smith capped it off with another two-RBI single to right center. In the fourth, Sweat singled to short bringing Peffley in for a run, and Head singled to left where a fielding error by the left fielder allowed Henderson and Sweat to score. The Panthers scored a pair of runs on a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, but SU took one back in the top of sixth on another Head single to push the lead back to seven runs. Greenville would rally scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth, but Spalding would hang on for the win, 9-6.  
 
NOTABLE STATS
Chloe Skorija (9-5) earned the win, allowing six runs, on 11 hits, while walking two batters. Jaycee Head led the SU hitters going 3-for-4 with three RBIs, while Brooke Smith drove in a team-high four RBIs on a 2-for-4 performance. Addie Morris, Carter and Sweat also finished with two hits apiece.
 
UP NEXT
Spalding is back in action tomorrow in the championship bracket against Eureka. First pitch 2:00 pm ET in Fulton, Mo. If the Golden Eagles win game one they will take on Eureka in the championship game at 4:00 pm.