SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Parkside softball team opened the Drury Classic on Friday morning. The Rangers had two games, opening the day against Newman and rounding out the day against MSU Moorhead. The Rangers would win both games in walk off fashion, beating Newman 9-8 and MSU Moorhead 6-5.
Game One – Newman
Newman jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning, capitalizing on a series of errors and aggressive baserunning. Malie Noda's two-run single and Kayla Lopez's sacrifice fly helped extend the Jets' advantage, aided by defensive miscues from Parkside.
The Rangers fought back in the bottom of the first, with
Toni Rodriguez's single and
Megan Medlin's double driving in Parkside's first run. In the second inning,
Reese Valha's double and Welling's RBI double made it 6-2.
Parkside continued chipping away, as Remington hit a solo home run in the fifth to bring the score to 8-4. Then, in the sixth, the Rangers staged a comeback of their own. Valha and Welling reached base, and with runners in scoring position, Rodriguez, Baetz, and Medlin delivered key outs to cut the deficit to 8-7.
With the game on the line in the seventh, Parkside completed the dramatic comeback.
Ava Swain led off with a double and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Valha. Two outs later, Johnson stepped to the plate and crushed a two-run double to left-center, scoring Polerecky (who had pinch-run for Swain) and Utrata, sealing the win for the Rangers.
Amber Smith (1-1) earned the win in relief, tossing five innings and allowing just two runs. Maddie Rae Romo (0-2) took the loss for Newman after being charged with the decisive runs in the seventh.
Newman's offense was led by Reghann Fairbairn, who went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a double, while Noda drove in two runs. For Parkside, Johnson's walk-off double was the highlight, but the Rangers also got strong performances from Remington, who homered, and Valha, who added a key double.
Game Two – MSU Moorhead
The Rangers jumped ahead in the third when
Megan Medlin crushed a two-run homer to left, followed by a solo shot from
Ava Swain to make it 3-1. The Dragons responded with two runs in the fifth to tie the game before adding two more in the top of the seventh to take a 5-3 lead.
Down to their final three outs, the Rangers found a way to win.
Eden Welling started the rally with a single before
Mia Johnson was hit by a pitch to put two runners on. A throwing error on a bunt loaded the bases, setting the stage for Medlin to draw a bases-loaded walk, cutting the deficit to one. Moments later, a wild pitch allowed
Rylee Baetz to score the tying run, and
Reese Valha worked a walk to bring in the winning run, capping off the dramatic victory.
Hope Maes earned her first win in relief, tossing the final 2.1 innings while Parkside improved to 7-3 on the season.
Up Next
The Rangers will continue action again tomorrow in the Drury Classic. They are slated to open at 9 a.m. CST against Minnesota Duluth. They will then take on the host Drury at 11 a.m. CST.
