May 5, 2006
Bearcats Win Final Two at MIAA Tournament; Head to Round 2 of Action on Saturday
SHAWNEE, Kan. - Northwest Missouri State won its final two games of the day to stay alive in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Postseason Tournament at the Mid-America West Complex. Northwest , who earned the third seed, lost 3-0 to Truman State before dropping Pittsburg State 7-1 and Washburn 9-2.In the opener against Truman, the Bulldogs plated two in the third inning after two outs. A Bearcat error extended the inning as TSU took a 2-0 lead. Truman added one in the seventh and sent the Bearcats to the losers bracket.
Senior Ashley Pride notched two of the Bearcats' four hits in the game.
Northwest batted around in the second inning against Pittsburg, moving out to a 4-0 lead. Three of the runs were unearned as the Gorillas committed two errors. Junior Sarah Johnson tied a school-best with two homers, both solo shots, in the sixth and seventh frames. The Bearcats plated single runs in the final three innings.
PSU avoided the shutout with a run in the fourth off a RBI ground out from Alisha O'Brien. Northwest sophomore pitcher Kelly Morris ended the PSU season in earning the complete-game three-hitter. She moved to 10-5 on the year as she scattered three hits.
Junior Lindsay Stephenson went 3-for-4 for her fifth 3-hit game of the season. Three other Bearcats finished with two hits apiece.
In the nightcap with Washburn, Northwest took a 5-0 lead and a 7-1 edge after three innings in getting past the Lady Blues for the second time this year. Stephenson, who went 3-for-4 for the second straight game, blasted her 14th homer of the season. The two-runner to center in the sixth inning added to her school record total.
Junior Tristin Brown scored twice and added two hits.
Krueger came on in relief in the second inning to earn the win. She went 5 2/3 innings and gave up just two hits.
The Bearcats again face Truman State at 12 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday) in the final day of competition. Northwest could play as many as four games to win the Tournament since the Bearcats are in the losers bracket.
Northwest, who stands 8-10 in the MIAA Tournament, is 37-12 on the year.
NOTES: Northwest ended PSU's season after Pittsburg earned a 3-2 win in the MIAA Tournament last year to finish off Northwest ... Freshman Megan Simpson snapped an 0-for-27 hitting slump with a second-inning single against Pittsburg ... Northwest was ranked fifth in the North Central Region (May 3) while Washburn was fourth ... The Bearcats had their six-game winning streak stopped at six with the 3-0 loss to Truman.
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