WICHITA, Kan. — Putting together a pair of comeback attempts, the Newman softball team was able to complete one and earn an extra inning victory while the other fell just short in a doubleheader spilt with Washburn Tuesday evening at the Newman Softball Field.
The Jets (11-21) found themselves down by multiple runs after the fourth inning in both games against the Ichabods (13-13), and rallied both times. They scored three in the bottom of the sixth to take a lead before ultimately winning 9-6 on a walk-off home run by Missy Swanson in the opener, and plated three in the bottom of the seventh before falling by a 5-4 margin in the nightcap.
Neither team's offense could find much footing until Washburn scraped across a pair of runs in the top of the fourth in the first game of the day, as the guests got four of their six hits in regulation in that frame to take the first lead of the day.
The Jets got their second real opportunity of the game in the sixth, as Mikayla Medbery led the inning off with a single up the middle. After she stole second, Newman gave up two quick outs before the back end of the order pushed the crucial runs across. Courtney Sartin beat out an infield single and stole second to put two runners in scoring position, and Alyssa Taylor reached on an error that allowed Medbery to score and put the Jets on the board. Delaney Hiegert followed with her first extra-base hit of the year, a double to left center that put the hosts up 3-2.
Washburn managed to tie it up in the top of the seventh though, forcing extra innings that would go into the 11th despite the use of the international tiebreaker rules. Each team scored in the eighth and ninth, and a scoreless 10th led to the Ichabods going up with a run in the 11th, the third time they took the lead in extras.
Newman answered quickly, as Alyssa Taylor smacked a double to right center in the first at-bat to score Sartin, who started the inning on second base. They continued to threaten this time though, as Hiegert walked before Swanson cracked her three-run shot over the fence in right to send the Jets off as winners. It was Swanson's second walk-off plate appearance in five days, as the senior's sacrifice fly won a game Friday against Texas A&M International.
Kate Smith picked up the win, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out four over the final four innings. Jensen Cromer started the game off with seven solid innings, five of which saw her set the Ichabods down in order.
The second game looked like it was starting much the same, as Washburn scored single runs in the first and third before the Jets pulled to within one as Adrienne Esposito singled in the bottom of the third and came around to score on an error. The Ichabods turned right around and pushed three more runs across in the fourth, and followed that up by shutting down the Jets over the next three frames, allowing just a lone, two-out single through the end of the sixth.
The guests made it eight straight retired with a groundout to start the seventh, but the Jets weren't going to go quietly, as Taylor walked, followed by a Taylor Mannis walk that bumped Taylor to third after a wild pitch. A double steal was successful to put another run on the board for Newman, and a walk to Esposito followed by Bayley Horsch getting hit by a pitch loaded the bases with one out. Kendra Mendoza grounded out for the second out, but it was enough to score Mannis, and an infield single from Medbery made it a one-run game at 5-4, but Washburn was able to preserve the win with a strikeout to end it.
Swanson went 3-for-5 with four RBIs in the first game to lead the way, while Medbery was 2-for-5 with two runs in that one and added another hit in the nightcap. Sartin, Taylor and Hiegert each added a hit and two runs in the first game, with Taylor and Hiegert knocking in a pair of runs also.
The Jets are back in action early this Easter weekend, facing Rogers State in a three-game series Thursday and Friday at the Newman Softball Field.
