Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Somers, Wis.- It was a hitters' paradise at Case Softball Complex on Sunday as a strong wind contributed to some offensive fireworks. Missouri S&T hit five home runs in the opener and won, 14-10. Parkside came back to take game two on Nicki Ekstrom's walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh, 5-4. The team combined for 13 home runs on the day. UW-Parkside is now 5-3 in the league while S&T goes to 4-8.
The second game was back-and-forth throughout with Parkside continually answering S&T scores. The Miners stuck immediately with a home run, Kassi Diebert's second of the day, for a 1-0 lead. Parkside got it back in the bottom half when Cummings singled, was bunted to second, moved to third on a ground out, and scored on a wild pitch.
S&T added another run in the third on a fielder's choice to make it 2-1. But once again the Rangers answered, this time it was Christine Holthus with her second home run of the day, and things were evened back up.
Both teams muscled up for two runs in the fifth. Jennifer Sardigal, who entered the game in the fourth, ripped a home run to left to recapture the lead. The Rangers allowed a pop-up from Sardigal to drop in foul territory earlier in the at-bat. S&T added one more in the inning on a two-out single to increase the lead to 4-2.
Holthus and Kirsten Luevano knotted it at four with back-to-back home runs in the fifth. It was Holthus' third of the day and sixth of the year.
The Rangers struck the final blow in the seventh when Kelly doubled to start the inning. A Meg McCormick single and walk to Kristin Kleinmeyer set the stage for Eckstrom's heroics. The senior lined a base-hit to left to send the entire squad to home plate to celebrate the hard-fought victory.
Kleinmeyer got the win tossing the complete game. Holthus, Kelly, and Cummings all had two hits.
The Rangers jumped in front immediately in game one. Colleen Cummings led off with a single, moved to second on a sac bunt, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Krista Kelly brought her home with a shot down the third base line for the early lead. Kelly then came around to score when a grounder by Nicki Ekstrom was thrown away at first, giving Parkside a 2-0 lead.
They kept the pressure on in the second, loading the bases with one out. Nicki Ekstrom smoked a liner off the shortstop's glove which resulted in a fielder's choice and a run. Kirsten Luevano followed with a double off the wall in center to plate two and stretch the lead to five.
Missouri S&T answered in a big way in the third. The Miners scored seven times and took advantage of the conditions. They hit four home runs in the inning; including three in a row to take a 7-5 lead.
The Rangers came back to tie it with single runs in the fourth and fifth. Luevano drove in Holthus (who had doubled) to trim the deficit to one. They tied it on an Ashley Sullivan double an inning later.
S&T's offense was too much, scoring seven runs over the next two innings a big hole. Holthus and Kelly homered in the sixth, as did Meg McCormick in the seventh, but it wasn't enough to come back.
The Rangers complete the weekend 3-1 and will hit the road next Saturday to take on Southern Indiana and Missouri-St. Louis
