Despite matching a season-high with 14 hits, Wayne State College suffered an 11-4 loss to Northeastern State of Oklahoma Sunday morning at the Drury Invitational Softball Tournament in Springfield, Missouri. WSC is now 5-9 on the year while Northeastern State improves to 12-6.
The Wildcats held a 14-13 edge in hits over the Riverhawks, but Northeastern State used three WSC errors and nine walks by Wildcat pitching to build an 11-4 advantage in runs over Wayne State.
Northeastern State scored one run in the second, three in the third and four in the fourth to build an 8-0 lead.
Wayne State got back into the game with four runs on five hits in the top of the fifth inning to reduce the Riverhawks lead to 8-4. Kim Vidlak hit an RBI single to right center field that scored Molli Vasa (double) with the first Wildcat run. Vidlak and Kortney Buresh (single) both scored on a double from Ashley Hernandez with Hernandez later scoring on Michaela Smiths RBI single to right field.
But Northeastern State quickly regained the momentum with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to close out the scoring for the 11-4 victory.
Hernandez was 3 for 4 with a double and two RBI to lead Wayne States 14-hit attack while Vidlak finished 3 for 4 with three singles and an RBI. Buresh added two hits, going 2 for 4 with a run scored while Vasa doubled and scored a run. Clare Reinhart, Smith, Paiton Tornberg, Kamryn Sparks and Riley Holmberg each singled.
Freshman starter Sloan Cooksey (1-5) was tagged with the pitching loss in five innings of work while junior Maddie Moser worked the final inning.
Eight of nine starters recorded at least one hit for Drury University as the host Panthers defeated Wayne State College 10-2 in five innings at the Drury Invitational Softball Tournament Sunday afternoon in Springfield, Missouri. The Panthers are now 9-6 on the year while the Wildcats slip to 5-10.
Wayne State got off to a good start scoring in the top of the first inning as Kim Vidlak singled to right field and later scored on an Ashley Hernandez single for a 1-0 lead.
Drury responded with three runs on three hits and one Wildcat error in the bottom of the first for a 3-1 lead and then scored four more runs in the third to take a 7-1 advantage.
The Wildcats scored again in the fourth inning as Hernandez singled to start the inning and came home on an RBI groundout from Paiton Tornberg.
The Panthers then scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 10-2 lead and held WSC without a run in the top of the fifth for the eight-run rule victory in five innings.
Wayne State had five hits in the contest, led by Hernandez going 2 for 2 with an RBI and run scored. Vidlak singled and scored the other Wildcat run while Michaela Smith and Kamryn Sparks each added singles.
Sophomore Makenna Adkison (0-2) suffered the pitching loss in 2 1/3 innings of work while freshman Sloan Cooksey worked the remaining 1 2/3 innings.
Wayne States next action will be Sunday, March 8th when the Wildcats play two games at the National Training Center Spring Games in Clermont, Florida. WSC faces California (Pa.) at 1:45 p.m. and Dominican College of New York at 4 p.m.
