Tucson- The MNU Softball Team captured 3 more victories making their record to date 17-2. MNU beat Minot State 4-3 in 8 innings in the opener, Mayville State 3-2, and Minnesota-Morris 13-0. During the 2010 Tucson Invitational the MNU Pioneers earned a 5-1 record.
Game 1- After Minot started the first inning with a run MNU answered back with a run of their own. Brianna Payne singled and stole second. She eventually scored on a passed ball knotting it up to 1-1. Minot quickly answered back with 2 in the 2nd inning making it 3-2. That score stood still until the bottom of the 7th. Senior Ashley Mayhle got hit by a pitch and stole 2nd base. Cait Gardener advanced Mayhle with a groundout to 2nd base and Stephanie Jones hit a sharp grounder to 1st scoring the tying run. Minot started with a runner on 2nd base in the top of the 8th. Senior Penny Eastman got a strike out and a soft pop out to herself for 2 quick outs. The third out was the hardest. 12 pitches into the next at bat MNU Coach Babinski called time out on a 1-2 count and spoke with his infielders…and right fielder. Coach Babinski place right fielder Emily True on the third base line right where the dirt meets the grass. “I saw some pretty strong tendencies in that hitter throughout the game and I wanted to be aggressive,” says Babinski, “I wanted to flood the left side and pitch to the batter in a way to feed the flood.” The 12 pitch at bat ran to 24 pitches and with a full count, the 25th pitch was a line drive that was nabbed by the running shortstop in the hole to end the threat. The bottom of the 8th began with Emily True standing on 2nd. Ashley Salter advanced True with a right side ground ball leaving the winning run 30 feet away. Minot intentionally walked both Jennifer Costa and Taylor Ryal to load the bases to bring up the freshman Leslie Jones. With the weight of the game on her shoulders, Jones came through with a base hit to right field ending the game with the Pioneers on top 4-3. Penny Eastman threw the complete game 8 innings while surrendering 3 runs on 7 hits while striking out 8. Leading the offense was Brianna Payne 2-3, Run, SB and Leslie Jones 2-4, RBI.
Game 2- Mayville scored in the top of the first and MNU answered right back in the bottom. Ashley Salty started with a two out single and Jennifer Costa hit her in on her 9th homerun of the season. Mayville tied it up 2-2 in the 2nd. MNU took the lead in the 5th when Emily True doubled in Brianna Payne. Mayville would not go away as they tied the game in the 6th inning. MNU turned to Senior Ashley Mayhle once again to lead off the 7th in a hope of a winning run. Mayhle drilled a single up the middle and Cait Gardner added a single of her own putting runners on 1st and second. Brianna Payne hit a comebacker to the pitcher who tried to get Mayhle on a force at third base. The ball went sailing and Mayhle scored the second consecutive game winning run of the day. Sophomore Jordan Payne threw 5.1 innings surrendering 2 earned runs on 5 hits and striking out 5. Jennifer Costa (6-1) came in relief for the win while throwing 1.2 inning of hitless ball with 4 strikeouts. Leading the offense was Brianna Payne 3-4, Run, SB and Jennifer Costa 1-1, HR, Run, 2 RBI, 3 Intentional Walks. 6 other Pioneers added with a hit.
Game 3- The bats exploded on Minnesota-Morris the last game of the tournament. MNU tallied 13 runs on 13 hits including Jennifer Costa's 10th homerun of the season. Brianna Payne went 3-3, 3 Runs, 3 SB; Ashley Salter 2-3, 2 Runs, 2 RBIs, Jennifer Costa 2-3, 2 Runs, 5 RBIs; Ashley Mayhle 2-3, 3B, 2 RBIs; Taylor Ryal 2-3, 2 2B, Run, RBI; and Emily True 1-1, 2B, 2 BB, 2 Runs, 2 RBIs. Jennifer Costa (7-1) gets the win and Gale Christner closed the game with 2 scoreless innings.
Jennifer Costa's first homerun of the day tied her with 2006 Brooke Woolery for the most homeruns in a single season at MNU. Costa's 2nd homerun put her in the record books as the sole leader of homeruns in a single season with 10.
MNU heads home and starts conference later this week with 4 games on the road. The Pioneers will go to Canton, MO to play the Wildcats of Culver Stockton and then travel to St. Charles, MO to face the Lyons of Lindenwood.
