FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mar. 6, 2009

Lions split two games in final day of Zenner Memorial

Fort Hays Box Score | Drury Box Score

Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern softball team split a pair of games today at the Teri Mathis Zenner Memorial Tournament, falling to Fort Hays, 5-2 in game one, but rallying to defeat Drury 4-1 in the nightcap.

Southern (4-14) fell behind early against Hays (13-9), as the Lady Tigers scored three in the third inning. The Lions rebounded for two of their own in the bottom half of the inning when Whitney Clute singled through the right side to score both Breanna Volkmann and Lauren Hasty. Brooke Hurley went 2-3 in the game, while Clute, Volkmann, Hasty and Trish Washburn had a hit each.

In game two, Drury (8-13) scored a run in the top of the first off of starter Whitney Clute, but the junior settled down and held the Panthers quiet over the next five innings. The Lions scored two runs in the third to go ahead 2-1 when Hasty walked and scored on a triple from Volkmann. Volkmann then scored on a perfect suicide squeeze bunt from Randi Russell.

The Lions scored another pair of runs in the fifth. Washburn started it off, by reaching on an error. Vanessa Ellmore pinch ran for Washburn and scored when Megan Roark blasted a shot off the right field fence for a double. Roark would score on a wild pitch.

Clute pitched six innings, but Drury threatened in the seventh prompting a pitching change and Tara Kuykendall came in and shut down the Panthers for a perfect seventh to pick up the save.

Roark went 2-4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored in the game. Volkmann, Russell, Hasty and Kelli Bax had hits in the game.

The Lions will be back in action this Wednesday night when Southern plays host to Pittsburg State for a 5 pm double-header. The game will be the Lions' "Strikeout For Cancer" night and will feature pink jerseys worn by every member of the Lions' squad.