WINFIELD, Kan. – From the comforts of Broadway Sports Complex on a chilly Wednesday afternoon, the Southwestern College softball team went toe-to-toe with the Royals of Ecclesia University in a pair of non-conference battles. After an 11-5 loss, in which the fifth inning was no friend to the Builders, the SC squad flipped the script in the second bout with a fast start, scoring 10 runs in the first frame on the way to a 21-7 triumph in five innings.
Tilt number one began inauspiciously, as the visiting Royals cracked the scoreboard in the very first inning. An RBI single, as well as a fielding error on the Moundbuilders, allowed two runs to cross the plate. A 2-0 deficit would be faced by the Builders in their first turn at the dish.
Nothing came in for either team in the next several half-innings, but the Moundbuilders finally made their way onto the board with a two-out RBI single into center field to drive in Rayven Favors. That knock cut the lead in half at 2-1 after three full frames.
Gina Hernandez would provide an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth for SC, as well, as Ecclesia had begun to stall out offensively. Taylor Mesna came in to score on the hit by Hernandez, as the Builders tied things up at 2-2 after four.
Then, it all hit the fan, and the Royals scored seven of their eight runs in the fifth inning with two outs on the scoreboard. The sustained rally included a walk with the bases loaded, three straight singles to drive in five total runs, as well as an error that would have ended the inning. The seven runs with two outs made it a 10-2 game after four-and-a-half, but the Builders did not quit. An Alexus Johnson groundout to second base drove in Hannah Hlavenka in the bottom half, and Zoe Berger's RBI groundout to shortstop made it 10-4 following five full.
Both teams would grab a single run in the seventh inning, as Mesna drove in Berger with a single to make it 11-5. The game would end at that score, as Southwestern dropped the opener against the Royals.
Things began similarly for the Builders, as Ecclesia grabbed the game's first run in the top of the first on an RBI groundout. Then, though, Southwestern exploded in the bottom half of the stanza.
The Builders were heavily aided by poor pitching from the Royals in the inning, but the squad still put together a five-hit frame and scored a total of 10 runs. Isabel Lytle would open the scoring for SC by coming home on a wild pitch, but Ryleigh Branstetter picked up the first two RBIs in the inning on a single down the left-field line. Both Hlavenka and Favors scored on the hit. Mesna delivered another RBI single immediately after, while Loren Wright came in to score. Branstetter and Mesna would later score in the inning on wild pitches, and then Reagan Wright drilled an RBI single through the middle to score Berger. Lytle would come back up and lace a run-scoring single into left field, sending Hernandez across for another Builder run, before an RBI groundout from Favors and a run-tallying single by Hlavenka made it 10-1 after one inning.
Crooked number abounded in the early innings of this battle, as Ecclesia struck for three runs in the top of the second. A safety squeeze play with runners at second and third brought home the first run of the stanza for the Royals, and the other two tallies came via wild pitches with runners at third base.
Once again, Southwestern rallied for six runs in the bottom of the second. The first of those tallies came via a bases-loaded walk to Lytle, which scored Berger. Then, Favors cleared the deck with a three-run triple down the left-field line, which was the big hit in the frame. Then, a run-scoring single from Hlavenka, and another triple to drive in a tally by L. Wright made it a 16-4 ballgame after only two frames.
Both teams scored just two runs in the third, which was a major drop-off from the previous two innings' outputs. An RBI single and a throwing error by the Builders gave the Royals their two tallies, and a sacrifice fly by R. Wright scored Berger to give SC their first run of the third. Then, a wild pitch with Hernandez at third base afforded them their second. The score was 18-6 entering the fourth.
No runs would be scored by Ecclesia in the fourth, which was the only half-inning of the entire game in which there were zero runs scored. Southwestern added three in the bottom of the fourth with a run-scoring single from Mesna to score Natalie Davis, as well as a two-run triple by Berger to bring home both Addison Johnson and Mesna.
The Royals added one late tally in the fifth, but that would end the day, as the Builders won by a 14-run margin. The 21-7 final score marked the first win for Southwestern since the walk-off extra-innings win on Feb. 28 against Kansas Christian College.
Southwestern totaled 23 hits over the course of the two games, as they only had one more hit in game two than they did in the first bout. The most consistent day from a Builder came off the bat of Mesna (5-for-9, 3B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 3 SB). Other strong performances from L. Wright (3-for-5, 3B, 3 RBI, R, 2 BB), Berger (3-for-6, 3B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB), Favors (3-for-6, 3B, 4 RBI, 3 R, SB) and Hernandez (3-for-6, RBI, 3 R, BB) paved the way for the Builder on Wednesday.
Al. Johnson's day in the circle began in a difficult fashion after allowing two runs in the first, but she settled in nicely until the fifth frame when the wheels fell off. She ended up surrendering 10 runs total (eight earned) across 4.2 innings of work and nine hits allowed. She walked six batters and struck out four, as well. Jordan Gates relieved her with 2.1 innings of slid work out of the bullpen, allowing only one run and two hits in her stead. Game two began with Branstetter on the slab, as she went two innings and allowed only one hit. Unfortunately, she allowed four earned runs to score and tossed five wild pitches. Raleigh Kramer went the remaining three innings and gave up six hits and three runs overall (two earned). She punched out four hitters and walked three during her work. She was given the win for her efforts, as she now holds both of the Builders' winning decisions in 2023.
A menacing Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) opponent awaits the Moundbuilders (2-25, 0-10 KCAC) in the No. 17-ranked Braves of Ottawa University. Two battles between the squads will take place in Winfield this Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. The contests will close out the week for Southwestern before they have three doubleheaders over the following seven days.
--buildersports.com--
