FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mar. 13, 2009

Lions win two in day one of Pitt State Tournament

Bellevue Box Score | Oklahoma City Box Score | Fort Hays Box Score

Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern softball team picked up a pair of wins today in the first day of the Pittsburg State Tournament, defeating Bellevue 10-2 and Fort Hays 5-3, while falling to Oklahoma City, 9-0.

The Lions started the day with a game against NAIA No. 27 Bellevue (Iowa). After going down 2-1 in the first inning, Southern scored a run in the second, two in the third and broke the game open with five in the fourth before a single run in the sixth invoked the 8-run rule.

Brooke Hurley homered as part of a two-run third and a three-run shot to left from Whitney Clute capped off a five-run fourth. Hurley and Clute both had three hits and scored twice in the game, while Clute drove in four and Hurley, two. Megan Roark had an RBI double, while Breanna Volkmann stole two bases. Clute started the game and went all six, striking out two, allowing just two runs.

The Lions ran into a strong pitching performance from Oklahoma City's Lilly LaVelle. The Stars, ranked 7th in the NAIA, got a complete game, one hitter from LaVelle as OCU used a four-run fifth to break open the game against Southern. Hurley had the Lions' lone hit, a lead-off double in the second.

In the Lions' final game of the day, Southern scored two runs in the top of the sixth to take out Fort Hays State. Clute got the Lions' scoring started in the second as she homered off the right field fair pole, her second of the day, to put Southern on top 2-1.

After another run from Hays in the second, the Lions went ahead with an RBI from Roark in the third. Hays, again tied it in the third and both teams remained scoreless for two innings before the Lions scored two in the sixth.

Natalie Nelson had an RBI single to right field and Volkmann picked up an RBI the hard way, with a bases-loaded hit by pitch. Tara Kuykendall started the game for the Lions and was brilliant over the final four innings. She went all seven, striking out two and allowing just two earned runs for her first win of the season.

Clute had two RBIs and a run scored, while Volkmann, Roark and Nelson drove in a run each.

The Lions will be back in action tomorrow (March 14) with two more games in the tournament. Southern will take on Pittsburg State at 2 pm, and finish off with Northwest Missouri at 4 pm.