WICHITA, Kan. — Behind a pair of impressive starts in the circle from Chantel Purcella, the Newman softball team shut down league-leading St. Mary's in a doubleheader sweep Friday evening in Heartland Conference play at Newman Softball Field.
GAME 1
Key Sequence
With the Jets (11-34, 5-19 Heartland) holding onto a tight lead heading to the top of the seventh, the Rattlers (27-18, 15-6 Heartland) twice got the tying run on base. Purcella induced a pop up that turned into a double play to erase a leadoff single, and after a two-out triple, calmly got another pop fly to seal a 1-0 victory.
How It Happened
-Purcella encountered her only real trouble of the game before the seventh in the top of the second. The Rattlers put runners on second and third with no outs, but three straight fly balls were corralled by leftfielder Taylor Mannis to end the threat.
-The Jets got all the offense they would need in the bottom of the third, as Bailey Bugner led things off with a single and was bunted over to second by Hayden Francis. Delaney Hiegert chopped a ball through the right side, and Bugner was running all the way to score from second for the only run of the game.
-After allowing the pair of runners in the second, Purcella retired 13 of the next 14 batters she faced, allowing just a single in the top of the fourth over that span. A one-out walk in the sixth gave the guests some semblance of hope, but Purcella got a strikeout to end a 12-pitch at-bat to end the inning.
GAME 2
Key Sequence
Both offenses were a bit more free in the nightcap, but a big four-run inning by the Jets in the fifth helped them ease their way to a 7-2 win. Emma Eck plated a run with a triple, Abby Davis did the same with a double, and Lacey Colvin smacked a single to right center with the bases loaded and two outs to push two more home and extend the lead to five.
How It Happened
-Purcella trotted back out to the circle to start her second game of the day, and although St. Mary's seemed to make slightly better contact against her, the visitors couldn't get much going. A pair of singles in the first threatened, and the Rattlers scored for the first time on the day in the third, but that took a single, a bunt and a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.
-Newman got things going in the bottom half, getting help from a pair of errors, but also getting base hits out of Francis, Mannis and Davis to push three runs across and take the lead for good.
-A solo home run to lead off the fourth got the Rattlers back in the game, and they followed that up with a single, but Purcella once again found her groove, retiring 12 of the final 13 batters she faced the rest of the way as the Jet offense added to the lead.
NOTES
-Purcella pitched all 14 innings Friday, allowing just 12 hits and one walk. The junior has a 1.00 ERA and has allowed fewer than one baserunner per inning in 21 innings this week, and she's 3-0 in those games.
-Davis went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in Game 2, joining Mannis, Eck, Bugner and Francis with two hits on the day.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets wrap up the season series against St. Mary's with a noon start Saturday back at Newman Softball Field.
