WICHITA, Kan. — Allowing runs to score in the early innings, the Newman softball team was swept in a Heartland Conference doubleheader by St. Edward's Sunday afternoon at Newman Softball Field.
GAME 1
Key Sequence
The Jets (3-18, 1-7 Heartland) climbed back into it against the Hilltoppers (2-15, 2-4 Heartland) with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it a one-run game. Paige Wallace singled with one out in the seventh to get the tying run aboard, and Hayden Francis made it two runners on when she reached on an error, but a pair of ground balls led to fielder's choices, and the guests held on for a 5-4 win.
How It Happened
-A bases-loaded walk in the top of the first put St. Edward's on the board first, but the Jets tied it in the bottom of the second, as Emma Eck doubled in Erin Jankiewicz to draw even. The Hilltoppers got back to work in the third though, putting together a pair of doubles to go with two singles and two walks to plate four and go up 5-1.
-Chantel Purcella entered the circle to close out the third, and tossed a tidy 4 1/3 innings to give the Newman offense a chance, allowing just two singles and a walk the rest of the way to hold the St. Ed's bats at bay.
-A Hilltopper error in the fourth allowed the Jets to tack on another run, but the hosts left the bases loaded in the fifth, as St. Edward's got out of a jam. Newman again loaded them up with one out in the sixth, and this time Adrienne Esposito came through with a clutch ground-rule double to right-center to score two, although the tying run likely would have scored if the ball didn't skip over the fence.
GAME 2
Key Sequence
The Hilltoppers had their bats working early and often in the second game, but put a huge dent in the Jets' hopes in the sixth. The first seven SEU batters of the inning reached base, and the visitors pushed six runs across on seven singles in the inning to build their lead on the way to an 11-3 victory.
How It Happened
-St. Edward's had at least one hit in each of the first five innings, starting in the top of the first, when a one-out double followed by two straight singles got them on the board first. Their big inning in the third pushed that lead out to 7-0.
-Newman started trying to climb back in the third, as Bayley Horsch singled to lead things off, and scored on Taylor Mannis' single with two outs. Wallace and Davis walked to load the bases, and Eck lined a single to left to score two, making it 7-3.
-St. Edward's would go on to plate three more in the fifth and another in the sixth, as Newman couldn't get things going at the plate on the way to a run-rule win for the Hilltoppers.
NOTES
-Eck finished the day 4-for-7 at the plate, driving in three runs and scoring another. Wallace and Davis each went 3-for-6.
WHAT'S NEXT
Newman gets a break from Heartland play, hosting William Jewell for a 2 p.m. doubleheader Wednesday.
