[Softball] Softball Falcons stay alive in KCAC tourney with 9-4 win over KWU
WICHITA, Kan. – The Friends University Falcons bats came alive at the right time to defeat the Kansas Wesleyan University Coyotes 9-4 in an elimination game in the KCAC Postseason Tournament tonight (May 3) at the Great Bend Sports Complex in Great Bend, Kan.
The Falcons faced elimination after dropping a 3-1 decision to the McPherson College Bulldogs in nine innings in the first game of the day.
Carolyn Dallimore (SR/Patterson, Calif. ) got the Falcons going early with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first and then an RBI single by Fallyn Marshall (JR/Syracuse, Utah) in the bottom of the second made it 4-0.
The Coyotes clawed back with consecutive RBI singles from Josie Buhr and Jocelyn Alcala to cut the lead in half in the third, but Priscilla Mora (SO/Beaumont, Calif. ) drove in a run in the fourth and then crossed the plate on a two-run single by Becca Dunn (SO/Jurupa Valley, Calif. ). A single by Alex Vick (FR/San Antonio, Texas) would then score Dunn to cap the decisive frame and make it a seven-run lead for the Falcons.
RBI singles from Tiffany Alaniz and Sydnee Fordham brought KWU closer in the fifth, but Isabelle Schwien (JR/Denver, Colo. ) got a groundout to end the inning and kept the Coyotes off the board in the next two frames to be credited with the win.
Laila Spracklen (SR/San Diego, Calif. ) started her second game of the day and went three innings for the Falcons, allowing two runs with four strikeouts. Schwien then came on and also gave up two runs with a pair of strikeouts over four frames.
Marshall and Aleigha Gale (JR/Winfield, Kan. ) each had two hits to spark the Falcons from the top of the lineup, while Mia Hernandez had two hits for the Coyotes.
The opening tilt saw the Falcons wind up on the wrong end of a pitcher's duel between Spracklen and the Bulldogs' Jordyn Johnson.
Spracklen struck out 11 batters and walked none in nine fabulous innings, but Alexandrea Garcia singled in the go-ahead run in the ninth and then scored on a double by Kassidy New to give the Bulldogs all the runs they needed.
Johnson struck out just one batter and walked four, but still managed to limit the Falcons to just one run on six hits through nine sharp innings of work.
Jayden Estabrook (SO/Tracy, Calif. ) had two hits for the Falcons and Gale had the lone RBI, a sacrifice fly on a foul out to left field that plated Alex Vick in the third.
The Bulldogs got two hits apiece from Garcia, Lacy Weaver and Mackenzie Egan.
The second-seeded Falcons are now set for another elimination game tomorrow (May 4) vs. the top-seeded and No. 14-ranked Ottawa University Braves at noon.
The Falcons need a win over Ottawa and then wins in the 2:30 pm and 5 pm games to move into Championship Saturday (May 5).