WICHITA, Kan. — Earning yet another extra-inning victory, the Newman softball team finished the first day of a Heartland Conference series against Rogers State with a doubleheader split Thursday evening at the Newman Softball Field.
The Jets (12-22, 4-7 Heartland) took advantage of bonus softball for the third time in their past five games, grabbing a 4-3 victory in in eight innings in the opener. They made a comeback attempt in the nightcap as well, scoring late runs to tie things up before the Hillcats (13-21, 3-11 Heartland) plated two to earn an 8-6 win.
The scoring started quickly in the first game, as the Hillcats pushed across one run in the top of the first. Newman responded just as quickly in the bottom half, as Taylor Mannis singled to right to start things off and stole second. She moved up to third on a Mikayla Medbery groundout, and Courtney Sartin drew a two-out walk before Alyssa Taylor knocked both runners in to take a 2-1 lead.
After starting pitcher Kate Smith breezed through the second and the third, the Jets extended their lead with a run in the third, as Missy Swanson reached on an error, moved up to third on another miscue. A Delaney Hiegert groundout was all she needed to push Swanson home and increase the advantage to 3-1. The extra run came in handy, as the Hillcats scored twice in the fourth to tie things up before the bats went cold.
The teams combined for just two hits over the last three innings of regulation to go to extras. There, Smith set the guests down in order to give the Jets a chance to walk off. They took advantage, as Rachael Withers scored a two-out single and stole second, allowing herself to score on an error to lock up the win.
Smith worked all eight innings for the win, scattering eight hits and allowing just two earned runs. Mannis went 3-for-4 in the game and swiped three bases, with Hiegert, Taylor and Withers each adding a hit.
The bats stayed chilly early in the second game of the day, until RSU turned three hits into three runs in the third. Newman cut into that lead in the bottom half, as Withers singled and stole second, scoring on Kendra Mendoza's single to left. A solo home run from Sartin with one down in the fourth sliced the lead down to 3-2, but the Hillcats put up three more runs in the top of the fifth to seemingly pull away.
Withers got things started once again with a walk to start the fifth, and stole third after being bunted over to second by Ellise McGowan. Mendoza picked up her second RBI of the game on a groundout, but Rogers still led 6-3 after five frames.
Swanson reached on a walk in the sixth, and was the lone runner on base when the Hillcats picked up the second out. An error on a ground ball from Taylor extended the inning, and the Jets took advantage. Hiegert dropped a single inside the line in left to score Swanson, and McGowan's single to left pushed both Taylor and Hiegert home to tie things up at 6-6.
The Hillcats managed to score twice in the top of the seventh to break the tie.
Five different Jets notched a hit in the nightcap, with McGowan and Mendoza each knocking in a pair of runs.
The Jets and Hillcats wrap up the series with a rubber match Friday at noon.
