Henley another tough loss in G1 as offense sparks G2 win vs Mission

SPRINGFIELD, MO – The Mission Patriots entered a Saturday twin-bill with the Eutectics winners of their last six. That came after they had lost their first 20 straight games to start the season. As is the case, hot teams find a way to win and that is exactly what the home team did in game one, using a pair of extra base hits in the fourth to take the lead and go on for a 3-2 win over UHSP. In game two, Kailey Samora was 3-for-5, UHSP hit three doubles, scored early and added on and went on to win 7-2 earning a split of the weekend series and halting Mission's winning streak at seven.

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS:

MISSION 3, UHSP 2

• Samora doubled to open the game and three batters later rode home on the Alicia Kimble homerun to put UHSP on top 2-0. It was Kimble's second homer of the season.
• Kloe Hendrickson and Kate Potter went back-to-back in the fourth with a triple and a double to put the Pats on top 3-2. Hendrickson went 3-for-3 in the game.
• It was another game where UHSP starter Emma Henley did not get a lot of run support. Henley allowed 10 hits, two walks and fanned two going the distance yet suffering the loss. In her last seven outings, Henley has allowed four earned runs or fewer in all but one of them. She has not won any of those games.
• Potter was the winning pitcher for Mission tossing all seven innings yielding two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out two.
• Kimble is enjoying a tremendous freshman year. After having an eight-game hit streak snapped Wednesday against Clarke, she was just 2-for-her-last-12 until a pair of hits in three plate appearances in this game. She leads UHSP now hitting .429 on the year.

GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS:

UHSP 7, MISSION 2

• Talianna Joyner got the start for UHSP and was quickly lifted with one out in the first after she walked the bases loaded. Mackenzie Nelson came on and lasted the next three-and-two-thirds. Nelson picked up the win allowing a run on a pair of hits. She fanned two and walked two.
• Jocelyn Cunningham went 2-for-3 for Mission and drove in their first run of the game in the home half of the second with an RBI single off Nelson.
• UHSP loaded the bases in back-to-back innings with one out in the third and nobody out in the fourth. Lexi Knoll delivered in the third with a two-run double and Payton McClellan followed with an RBI single. In the fourth, the Eutectics only managed one run as Kimble delivered an RBI single.
• The Eutectics put the game away with a pair in the sixth and one in the seventh. Hallie Roper doubled in a run and eventually scored on a wild pitch in the penultimate inning. Hunter Noto stroked an RBI double to score Payton Reinbott in the seventh. Noto was 2-for-3 with a run and that RBI.
• UHSP banged out 14 hits and the top five in the lineup accounted for nine of them. Knoll and McClellan each had two hits to anchor the bottom half of the lineup.
• Trysten Murphy earned a three-inning save. She walked three and yielded as many hits. She struck out one and allowed one run.
• Tessa Cline suffered the loss for Mission going five innings, allowing four runs on ten hits, walked and struck out one.

UP NEXT:

The Eutectics (8-16, 3-7 AMC) will not leave the greater St. Louis area the rest of the season. 14 of their final 16 games are on their home diamond with the only road trip being a short jaunt to visit Missouri Baptist. AMC foes Williams Baptist and Crowley's Ridge come to town next weekend. The Eagles (19-10, 4-4 AMC) are in on Friday to play a doubleheader beginning at 2:00p with the Pioneers (10-14, 2-6 AMC) in on Saturday for two beginning at noon.