SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Valor Softball played in their home opening series on Friday against the Yellowjackets of Graceland. Game one proved to be a good matchup between both teams, as EU scraped by Graceland, 3-2. In game two, a slow-paced game benefitted the Valor in the late innings, as EU rallied to sweep Graceland, 6-3.
HIGHLIGHTS
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Evangel used dominant pitching in game one and used timely hitting to take the game one win, 3-2.
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Samantha Romano (3-2) pitched well in the first game of the day, striking out 11 batters and only giving up two earned runs.
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In game two, Evangel scored over the span of four innings to grab a lead and used good defensive play to take the sweep, 6-3.
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Abby Jo Emmitt (5-4) also pitched well in the circle, giving up just one run and striking out 12 batters throughout game two.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Graceland scored their lone two runs of the game in the top of the first in game one, thanks to a triple and a single.
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Evangel needed time to get their offense rolling and by the third inning, EU had found the scoreboard when Annslee Leeviraphan singled and was later scored on a Mariah Hanner triple to center field.
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In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Valor tied the game at two apiece when Josie Allcock, who had walked to get on base, scored on a passed ball by the catcher. Karlie Romines gave Evangel the lead in the same inning as she grounded out, but gave Cayleigh Berry enough time to run home and score, giving EU a 3-2 lead.
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Of the next nine batters that Romano faced, six were set down on strikeouts, as Samantha shut down the Yellowjacket offense, finalizing their 3-2 win in game one.
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Graceland scored a quick two runs to begin game two, as EU could not record an out in the first inning.
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The Yellowjackets added another run in the following inning after their first two batters had struck out, giving Graceland a 3-0 lead.
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The Valor again began a rally in the bottom of the second when Kaydran Russell scored on a Yellowjacket error.
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Brooke Arnold was scored in the very next inning after Megan Stone advanced her on a sacrifice bunt and the Graceland shortstop threw the softball into the visitor dugout.
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Evangel finally tied the game up in the bottom of the fourth when Berry was walked and scored on a Leeviraphan single to center field. Immediately after, Hanner doubled to score Leeviraphan and EU had captured the lead, 4-3.
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Mikayla Stacy and Stone used their speed and scored in the bottom of the fifth after Ali Raley hit into a fielder's choice, giving Evangel a 6-3 lead.
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Emmitt continued her strong pitching outing by shutting down Graceland's offense in the final two innings, preserving the 6-3 Valor victory.
NOTABLE
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Raley recorded her 72nd career RBI in game two on Friday in the fifth inning.
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Emmitt recorded her 40th career win in the circle in game two, placing her in sixth all-time in wins in EU Softball history, tied with Kerri Brammeier (97-00)
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Emmitt also recorded her 484th strikeout in her career, placing her just three strikeouts short of #2 all-time in EU history with Kimberly Williams (06-09).
UP NEXT
Evangel will host Peru State tomorrow afternoon (Apr. 2) with games beginning at 1:00 p.m. at University Field.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
