The Pioneers went to Lamoni and split a double header vs. Graceland in the first round of the HAAC Conference Tournament on Friday. The third and deciding game of the series will be played Saturday at 2:00.
Box and Play by Play In Game 1, Graceland got out of the gate quickly with 1 run in the first inning and 3 more in the second to take a 4-0 lead. The Pioneers fought back in the fourth with 2 runs to cut the deficit in half, but Graceland extended the lead with a single run in the bottom of the inning. MNU made a game of it in the top of the seventh when an error and a double brought the tying run to the plate. An RBI groundout, an RBI single, and another error put the tying run in scoring position, but the rally ended there and the Pioneers lost 5-4.
Lynsey Keith (2-4, 2 RBI, HBP) and
Jessica Scarlett (4-4, 2B) led the offense.
Box and Play by Play In Game 2, the starting pitchers held their opponents scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning.
Jen Polivka's RBI single brought home
Jadalynn Cirillo, who had led off the inning with a double, and the Pioneers (officially the home team in Game 2) led 1-0. The lead was short-lived, however, as Graceland rallied for 2 runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead. In the bottom of the sixth,
Adriana Asano led off with a walk and
Brittany Williams bunted her to second.
Jessica Scarlett then reached on an error and stole second, setting up 2 runners in scoring position. After a flyout,
Annie Duffner walked to load the bases, and
Janessa Swinney brought home the tying run with an infield single. When Graceland tried to throw to second after the play, Scarlett raced home for the go-ahead run. Graceland threatened in the seventh with a leadoff single and sacrifice bunt, but
Kayla Harris slammed the door and the Pioneers won 3-2.
MNU is 19-16 (9-9 HAAC). The next contest is Game 3 of this best-of-3 series tomorrow at Graceland at 2:00. The winner will advance to the 4-team double elimination tournament next weekend.
