The Pioneers traveled to Iowa and closed out the conference schedule with a double header sweep of Graceland on Saturday. In game one, the Pioneers took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when pitcher
Jennifer Costa led off with a double and found herself on third with 2 outs. Caitlin Gardner's clutch single drove home Costa, and the Pioneers took the lead. Costa shut out the Yellowjackets until the sixth inning, when Graceland singled and stole second with two outs. Another single brought home the tying run (Costa's first run allowed in almost 2 weeks), and the game went into extra innings. In the 10th, pinch runner Rebekah McCoy scored on Caitlin Gardner's RBI groundout to give MNU a 2-1 lead. Costa closed out the 10th with her 17th strikeout for her 17th victory of the season. And Ashey Salter (2-5),
Jennifer Costa (4-5, R, 2B, SB), and Caitlin Gardner (2-5, 2 RBI) had multi-hit games for MNU.
In game 2,
Penny Eastman carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, but Graceland was able to tie the game again with 2 outs and nobody on. A single and an error put the tying run in scoring position, and a clutch single tied the score. But the Pioneers did not wait for extra innings to take the lead in this game. In the top of the seventh,
Brianna Payne led off with a single and was standing on third with two outs. Costa singled to bring home Payne, and
Taylor Ryal followed with a double to deep left-center.
Ashley Mayhle's single brought home 2 more runs, and Costa closed out the game on the mound to give MNU the 4-1 victory. Eastman allowed just 3 hits and 1 run on 14 strikeouts in 6 innings for her 15th victory, and
Brianna Payne (2-3, 2 R, BB, 2 SB),
Jennifer Costa (2-4, R, RBI) and
Ashley Mayhle (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI) had 2 hits apiece.
MNU is 37-5 (17-3 HAAC). The next game is a non-conference double header at Ottawa (19-7) on Saturday the 24th at 1:00 PM.
