Game 1 Box Score ~ Game 2 Box Score
April 11, 2009 – The Bulldog softball team played two close games with the Southwest Baptist University Bearcats on Saturday afternoon in Kirksville. Truman won the first game 2-1 in eight innings before the Bearcats took the nightcap by the same 2-1 margin. The ‘Dogs will be back in action on Tuesday hosting Central Missouri at 2:00 p.m.
Richelle vanGennip pitched a masterful game for the Bulldogs in the opener as the junior made just one mistake in the fifth inning. Sarah Brison started the inning by going deep over the left field wall to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead.
Erica LaCombe led off the bottom of the seventh with a single and advanced to second when vanGennip tried to sacrifice bunt her over but popped it up deep behind the first base bag. An alert LaCombe tagged and went to second on the play.
Katie Pitts followed with a walk and Alex Weber singled to push the runners up and also turned over the lineup to the top.
Dani Mayer lifted a shallow fly to left that was caught by a diving BreAnn Proctor in left but LaCombe again tagged up to score the tying run. Kali Holleran shot a ball to right that was caught on another dive by McKenzie Mortimer to end the inning.
In the SBU eighth, Thelmeca Chambers singled and advanced to third on a sac bunt and a groundout.
Head Coach Erin Brown summoned Stephanie Johnson to face Katrina Munoz with the game one the line. Johnson got Munoz to fly to left and strand the runner at third.
In the Bulldogs half of the inning, Mary Manley singled to center with one out and advanced to second on a groundout. LaCombe then lofted a ball to shallow right that dropped in for the game winning hit.
vanGennip allowed just the one run on three SBU hits while also striking out five Bearcats.
In the second game, both teams were able to light the scoreboard in the first inning.
Brison singled into right field with two-outs to put SBU up while Truman got a one-out single by Rebekah Shea that plated Dani Mayer.
The game remained tied until the sixth. With one out, Nina Amaro Garcia doubled to center which brought Ashley Rotkvich into the game to replace the starter Johnson.
Aleese Nalbandian singled to move the runner up and then stole second. Pinch hitter Jenny Sare flied out to center and Mayer’s throw came up short as Garcia scored the go-ahead run.
LaCombe got the Bulldogs out of the inning by throwing out Jamie Garber trying to steal second.
The Bulldogs mustered just a single by Manley in the sixth as Brittney Wood scattered five hits for the complete game victory for SBU.
Truman is 10-23 overall and 2-8 in the MIAA while Southwest Baptist moves to 17-29 overall and 2-10 in the conference.