Pioneer pitching continued to mow down the competition, and Taylor Ryal carried the offense as MNU swept MIssouri Valley during Senior Night on Friday. In game one, the Pioneers jumped on Valley in the first inning when Brianna Payne led off with a single and Emily True was hit by a pitch. After an Ashley Salter bunt and a Jennifer Costa sacrifice fly, Taylor Ryal launched a 2-1 pitch over the center field fence to give MNU a 3-0 lead. Salter made it 5-0 in the third inning with a homer to left, and Valley had no chance to get back into the game. Costa allowed just 1 hit with 12 strikeouts in 7 innings as she moved to 16-2 on the season. In her last 4 starts, Costa (last week's NAIA National Pitcher of the Week) has a no-hitter, a one-hitter, a perfect game, and another one-hitter. Emily True (1-1, 2 R, BB, HBP), Ashley Salter (1-2, R, HR, 2 RBI, SH), and Taylor Ryal (2-3, R, HR, 2 RBI) led the offense.
In game two, senior Penny Eastman struck out 17 Viking hitters en route to her 14th victory of the season. The Pioneers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Ryal led off with her second home run of the day, and extended the lead in the fourth when Ryal's third homer brought home Costa and made the score 3-0. Three runs was more than enough for Eastman, who allowed just 1 hit and 2 walks in seven innings. Costa (1-3, R), Ryal (2-2, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI), and Jessica Campbell (1-2) had MNU's 4 hits.
The Pioneers are 35-5 (15-3 HAAC). The next double header is Saturday at Graceland (7-23, 2-12) at 1:00 PM.
