WICHITA, Kan. – On Monday afternoon, the Southwestern College softball team began their Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) slate at Friends University in Wichita. It was a difficult day for the Moundbuilders, as a talented Falcon squad run-ruled SC by final scores of 19-2 and 15-6. Both games finished in five innings.

After a quick top of the first where the Builders failed to score, Friends grabbed five runs, courtesy of a bases-clearing single with the bags loaded and a two-run homer afterwards.

Then, the Falcons would add more to the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning. Two RBI singles and another two-run homer made it a 9-0 game after only a pair of innings.

The Builders would tally their first run of the ballgame in the top of the third, when a double to center field by Hannah Hlavenka brought home Taylor Powers, making it a 9-1 score. Unfortunately, two more runs would be surrendered to the Falcons in the bottom of the inning, as a single hit to left field with two runners aboard would result in one RBI and another run on a fielding error in the outfield.

An uneventful top of the fourth for SC led to another massive run-scoring stanza for Friends in the bottom half. Eight total runs would come in to score for the Falcons, as they pulled away to a 19-1 lead with just one inning left to be played.

One more run would be added by Southwestern in the fifth on an RBI double by Rayven Favors. Gina Hernandez scored on the hit, making the final score 19-2 in the first tilt of the afternoon.

Battle number two started in a bit of a different fashion, as Southwestern grabbed the first two runs of the bout. Isabel Lytle got the inning started with a massive leadoff homer to left field, giving SC a quick 1-0 lead. Then, on a fielding error by Friends, Ryleigh Branstetter reached base and allowed Favors to come home to score. A 2-0 Builder lead would be cut in half in the bottom of the first, when an RBI single for the home squad made it 2-1.

With a one-run lead, the Moundbuilders would add on to their advantage in the top of the second. Favors singled into center field to bring home Reagan Wright for the Builders' third run of the tilt. With a 3-1 lead, things were looking promising for SC in the second game of the day.

The script flipped in the bottom of the third, when Friends put up a seven spot to grab a commanding 8-3 lead after three innings. They had a two-RBI single, a sacrifice fly, a run-scoring double and a two-run round-tripper in the frame.

Zero runs would be added to the scoreboard in the top of the fourth by SC, and the Falcons took advantage by scoring another seven runs against the Builders. The stanza put the Moundbuilders in big trouble, as they would need to score five runs to keep the game going past the fifth inning.

It was a good effort by SC in the top of the fifth, as they nearly were able to keep the game going, but they fell just a pair of runs short. An RBI single from Alexus Johnson, scoring Allyson Lange, put the first run of the inning on the board for the Builders. Then, Natalie Davis provided a run-scoring single to right field, driving in Al. Johnson. Kelsey Daniel was the final Moundbuilder to tally an RBI single in the frame, as she sent home Zoe Berger with the knock. With the final out of the frame, Southwestern dropped game two, 15-6.

The Builders managed just three hits in the first game of the day, as the trio of Favors, Hlavenka and Powers provided them for the squad. Southwestern's offense was much stronger in the second matchup of the afternoon, compiling 10 hits as a team. Favors (2-for-3, RBI, R) and Hlavenka (2-for-3, 2B) were the two Builders with multi-hit performances. Lytle (1-for-4, HR, RBI, R), Al. Johnson (1-for-3, RBI, R), Berger (1-for-3, R) and Taylor Mesna (1-for-2) all had hits as members of the starting lineup, while both Davis and Daniel had RBI singles in their lone at-bats of the game.

With the losses in the conference-opening doubleheader, Southwestern (1-14, 0-2 KCAC) looks ahead to Wednesday, March 22, as they will host the Bethany College Swedes at Broadway Sports Complex. The Builders will be searching for their first two wins of the KCAC campaign in 2023.

--buildersports.com--