NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, SC – The Malone University softball team split a doubleheader on Wednesday in their first series in the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic versus the University of Rio Grande. Game one was won by the Pioneers in extra innings 3-1 with
Kelsey Byers pitching a complete game and recording a career-high 16 strikeouts.
Bailey Byers hit a homerun and drove in the game-winning run in the eighth inning. Malone dropped game two 9-0.
Malone heads into day two at North Myrtle Beach with a 2-0-1 record. Rio Grande completes their time at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic with the split and have a 2021 record of 9-4.
GAME ONE RECAP:
Bailey Byers started her time at the beach with a long homerun to left center field on the very first pitch of the game to give the Pioneers a 1-0 advantage. The Red Storm countered with just a single in the bottom half of the inning and left the runner on base.
Mikayla Kesel and
Bailey Byers were the only two Malone players to record hits in the first four innings, each of them with two. Byers singled to the left side of the infield in the third and Kesel pushed a ball to left field for a base hit in the top of the fourth.
In the bottom of the frame, Rio Grande struck for an unearned run after a throwing error. With a runner on third and nobody out,
Kelsey Byers struck out the side to end the fourth and keep the game tied at one.
Byers went 1-2-3 in the fifth and added two more K's to her ledger. After surrendering a lead-off single in the sixth, Byers struck out two more to keep the runner stranded in scoring position. Down to their last half inning and the game still tied, Rio Grande put two runners on with base hits, but Byers was again able to wiggle her way out of it.
In extras,
Lauren Bennett led off the top of the eighth with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt from
Kelsey Byers,
Bailey Byers knocked an RBI double into the right center field gap to take the lead.
April Howser drove her home with a hard hit ball towards the opposing shortstop to make it 3-1.
Kelsey Byers slammed the door shut in the bottom of the inning to pick up the complete game victory, ending the game with her career-high 16th strikeout.
GAME TWO RECAP:
Rio Grande struck first with a pair of first inning singles and with the help of a two-out error. The Red Storm added three more runs on four hits in the top of the third inning.
The first and only hit of the game for Malone came off the bat of freshman
Emily Spada when she knocked a ball into the right center field gap for a single. Unfortunately for the Pioneers, a line drive out to first in the next at-bat drew the defender right to the bag for the unassisted double play.
A flurry of defensive miscues from the Pioneers led to three unearned runs coming across in the top of the sixth for Rio Grande, but pitcher
Jensen Miller did a good job of getting out of a sticky situation with runners in scoring position.
Morgan Wilhelm was the only other player besides Spada to reach base when she hit a ball that was dropped in center field. Two more were brought home by the Red Storm in the seventh to close the 9-0 thrashing.
PIONEER POINTS:
- Kelsey Byers struck out an average of two batters per inning in her eight inning complete game win. The 16 strikeouts is well above her previous career-best of 11. This comes of the heels of five perfect innings in the season opening game against Rochester University on Monday.
- Bailey Byers was a triple away from hitting for the cycle in game one. She drove in two runs and April Howser brought her home for her second run scored of the ballgame.
- Jensen Miller threw three innings and did not give up an earned run in the contest.
- Mikayla Kesel was 2-for-3 in game one and now leads the team in batting average at .455 through four games.
UP NEXT:
Malone continues play with a doubleheader tomorrow against Clarks Summit University at 11 am and 1 pm.
