WINFIELD, Kan. –On Monday afternoon, the Southwestern College softball team played host to the visiting Tigers of Central Christian College at Broadway Sports Complex in Winfield, Kan. From the outset, it was a challenge for the Moundbuilders to get anything going in their favor, especially in game one. They dropped a pair of battles to the Tigers, as game one's final tally was 6-1, while game two ended with a more competitive score of 7-6. 
 

Game one started in favor of the Tigers as they began the game with a three-run lead. Three RBI singles put the Tigers up 3-0 in the top of the first inning. 

After three scoreless innings, the Tigers then added another run in the top of the fifth inning to improve their lead to 4-0. Then, finally, the Builders were able to put a run on the scoreboard. Rayven Favors singled to right field to earn her first RBI, as Allyson Lange scampered home to score. 

Unfortunately, that was it for the Builder offense, as they were not able to put another run on the board. Instead, the Tigers used their opportunities and added another two runs onto their score to win the game 6-1. 

Game two was a much more evenly played battle between the Tigers and the Moundbuilders. Central. Christian started with a one-run lead in the first inning as they scored on an RBI single through the right side. 
 

After a scoreless inning number two, the Tigers added another two runs to their score in the top of the third inning. Fortunately, the Builders put all their strengths together and grabbed three runs to tie the game, 3-3. A three-RBI double down the left-field line by Ryleigh Branstetter helped Alexus Johnson, Loren Wright and Hannah Hlavenka score for Southwestern.

Two more scoreless innings kept the two teams tied until the sixth inning, when the Builders took the lead as they scored a single run on an error by the Tiger pitcher. Isabel Lytle reached first on the throwing error, which helped Lange to score for the Builders. 

The game had reached its turning point in the top of the seventh, when Central Christian had a chance to take back the lead. Ultimately, they scored four runs, all with two outs already recorded by the Moundbuilder defense. A run scored on a wild pitch, which tied the score at 4-4, but then a single to left field that rolled under the glove of the left fielder allowed both base runners and the hitter score on the play, giving the Tigers a 7-4 lead in the top of the seventh inning. 
 

The Builders, down by three, were able to score two more runs but could not come back to win the game. Two unearned runs, with one RBI by Branstetter and one run on a passed ball, were not enough to come back to win the game. They fell 7-6 in the finale of the day.

The Builders (1-12) are now preparing to face Bacone College on Thursday, March 16. Game one will start at 1 p.m. at Broadway Sports Complex. 

--buildersports.com--