Pride bats do the heavy lifting in doubleheader sweep at Stephens
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Getting into the bulk of their schedule after a lighter first month of the regular season, the Clarke University softball team earned a pair of high-scoring wins over Stephens College on the road on Saturday afternoon by final scores of 12-6 and 11-9.
The Pride banged out 15 hits in each game, including a record-tying performance from Kynadee Harris as the junior first baseman went 5-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored as she got the scorgin started for CU with an RBI single in the top of the first inning and finished off the scoring in game one with another RBI single, driving in Harlee Makue-Vasconcellos on both occasions.
That five-hit game ties Harris with four other members of Pride softball who accomplished five-hit games on five occasions as Bailey Engel (2019), Kayla O'Brien (twice in 2015), Megan Koppenhoeffer (2001), and Sarah Bennet (1999) were the previous players do have five-hit games.
The 5-for-5 day is also the second for Clarke athletics in as many days as she joins Pride baseball's Bryn Vantiger, who tied the the baseball single game record for hits in a game on Friday afternoon with a 5-for-5 game against Peru State at home.
Joining Harris with multi-hit games in the 12-6 win were leadoff hitter Kaylie Holtam, who went 3-for-5 with three RBIs, Kendal Kasput's 2-for-3 day, and pitcher Meredith Gatto went 2-for-4 hitting in the nine-hole to help herself out with an RBI and run scored.
Gatto worked with the run support she was given and was good enough to get the win with the biggest blows against the sophomore came via a pair of three-run home runs for their six runs as Gatto would finish the game allowing seven hits and walking six with five strikeouts as all six runs allowed were earned.
Clarke would get out to a 5-0 lead through two innings before Stephens made it a 5-3 game after their first home run of the game in the bottom of the second but CU would add five-straight again to take a seven-run lead after the top of the fifth but that second home run made it a 10-6 game after the full five innings.
The long ball played a factor in the doubleheader finale where the Pride were able to hang on to the 11-9 win as they once again jumped out to a big lead early, going up 3-0 after the top of the first then 6-0 after the top of the third.
Lauren Hefel got the scoring started with a two-RBI double in her first at bat of game two as she would later come around to score on a wild pitch then in the third Kasput, Hannah Palzkill, and Teal Transburg had RBI hits with Kasput and Palzkill both producing RBI single and Transburg knocking an RBI double to make it 6-0.
Palzkill finished the game 3-for-3 with three RBIs as she added a two-run home run in the top of the fifth after a Stars grand slam made it 6-4 as Hefel drove in two more runs to finish with four RBIs in the game and make it 10-4 to end the inning.
Stephens put up a bit of a come back with two in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the bottom of the seventh but CU starter Payge Pyszka was able to finish out the complete game for her second win of the year as she allowed nine earned runs on 11 hits and two walks with two strikeouts.
Clarke softball will stay in Columbia, Mo. for another doubleheader on Sunday when they face Columbia College for a scheduled first pitch of game one at 1:00 p.m. CT.