FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mar. 14, 2009

Huge day for Clute lifts Lions to split in final day at Pitt

Pitt State Box Score | Northwest Missouri Box Score

Pittsburg, Kan. - Missouri Southern junior Whitney Clute had three home runs and threw a complete game, lifting the Lions to a 12-2 win in five innings over Northwest Missouri in the final game of the Pittsburg State Tournament today. Earlier in the day, the Lions fell 4-0 to Pitt State.

Clute broke two Southern (7-16) records today with seven RBIs and 14 total bases. She tied a Southern school record with three home runs and hit her fifth home run on the weekend to bring her total to eight on the year. She is now one home run from tying current Southern assistant Alese Woolard's single-season record of nine.

Clute went 4-4 in the game with the three homers and a double, including seven RBIs and three runs scored. Breanna Volkmann went 4-4 with two RBIs, three runs scored and a triple and a double, while Trish Washburn and Andrea Childs both went 2-3.

The Lions came four total bases shy of tying the school record, amassing 29 on the day.

Southern started the game off with a three-run first when Clute hit the first of her three long balls on the day, driving in Volkmann and Childs. The Lions scored a run in the second and broke the game open with a seven-run fourth. Another three-run homer from Clute, RBI singles from Washburn and Lauryn Berger, as well as a two-RBI triple from Volkmann highlighted the inning. Clute added her third homer in the fifth.

Clute picked up win No. 6 on the season, going all five innings, allowing just four hits and two runs.

Southern will be back in action on March 18 when the Lions head to Lawton, Okla. for a double-header with Cameron at 1 pm.