WICHITA, Kan. — With the offense coming around and the defense doing its part, the Newman softball team bounced back with a big Game 2 to grab a doubleheader split against Southern Nazarene Wednesday afternoon.
The Jets (7-25) put up big numbers throughout in a 13-3 win in five innings in the second game of the day against the Crimson Storm (8-20). That came after a tough 8-2 loss in the opener that saw the guests open the game up late.
Big home runs from Newman bats bookended the victory in the nightcap. Freshman Hayden Francis took advantage of a spot in the lineup and powered a three-run bomb to left center in in the bottom of the second to give the Jets their first lead of the day. Senior Jensen Cromer one-upped her late though, smacking a grand slam to dead center in the bottom of the fifth to trigger the mercy rule.
In between, the Storm got close, scoring in the first and getting within one run with another in the third, but starting pitcher Kate Smith and the Newman defense kept closing the door. Smith scattered eight hits, allowing just two earned runs and getting out of jams at-will. A slick play in the fourth limited the damage to just one more SNU run, and a lone walk around three outs was all Smith allowed in the fifth.
Meanwhile, the Newman offense kept clicking. It opened up the game in the third, sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring five runs on five hits. A single by Erin Jankiewicz knocked in the first run, as did a pair of groundouts and an error before Delaney Hiegert extended her hitting streak to 13 games with a two-out single.
Cromer and Jankiewicz each had two hits, while six others notched hits. Francis and Cromer each had four RBIs, while Alyssa Taylor added two.
A two-run home run for SNU got the guests off to a nice start in the top of the first in Game 1. It was the only hit of the inning for the guests in a quick frame, but staked them to a lead the rest of the way.
Newman got a pair of extra-base hits in the first four innings, but got its first run in the fifth. Taylor led off with a single, and came around to score on Mikayla Medbery's double to right to halve the lead.
Hiegert and Medbery each went 2-for-4 in the game.
The Jets are back at home this weekend, welcoming Lubbock Christian to the Newman Softball Field for a three-game Heartland Conference series Friday and Saturday.
