MARYVILLE – That ended well.
Maryville head coach
Jill Moore in her debut doubleheader threw the kitchen sink at a Mount St. Joseph squad that juuuuuuust missed being included in the NFCA Division III Preseason Top 25.
Moore's moves put her Scots in the right spots to succeed – and that's what they did, rallying for a 5-4 walk-off victory to gain a split of Sunday's doubleheader. Mount St. Joseph won the opener 4-2.
"Everyone on our team today, they were ready to go when their number was called," Moore said. "I went with my gut feeling a few times and things worked out. I had a feeling we were going to win that game."
Bailey Myers drilled the winning two-out double in Game 2 over the head of the MSJ left fielder, scoring
Brecca Williams from second.
Clutch Comeback
The inning began with Maryville trailing 4-2.
Emily Hill singled to center and, one out later,
Sara Koonce doubled to left center.
That was two pitches after Koonce was called back to the batter's box for leaning into a pitch for the purpose of getting hit. She did get plunked, but the umpire said no-go, and Koonce promptly doubled instead to put runners at second and third.
Brecca Williams looped a single to left center to make it a 4-3 game, sending Koonce to third.
Micayla Clark then was unlucky when her sure-fire single to center hit the foot of pitcher Courtney Keller and ricocheted to shortstop for an RBI-ground out that tied the score, with Williams moving to second.
Myers then came through with her booming double to deep left. Ball game.
"We had all the faith in everybody who was at the plate," said Koonce, who was 5-for-7 in the doubleheader with three doubles. "We just wanted to take those three outs we got in the top of the seventh and roll them into the bottom."
As for her own success on the afternoon, Koonce said things were pretty good after going down swinging in her first at bat of the afternoon.
"After my first at bat, I got myself together and just wanted to hit the ball. And that's what I did."
Back-to-Back Doubles to Stay Alive
Kaitlin Woodruff and pinch-hitter
Maya St. John delivered two-out doubles in the sixth inning to begin Maryville's rally from a 4-1 deficit. St. John was another of Moore's faith-based moves.
"I had a gut feeling," Moore said. "Maya's been working hard. She comes to practice early and hits a hundred balls off the tee, and it was a good opportunity for her. As soon as she came through with that hit and scored that run to get us closer, I said to myself, 'We're going to win this ballgame.'"
Kennedy Henry was the third Maryville pitcher of Game 2, and she closed the door on the Lions by allowing no runs and two hits over the final 2 and 2/3 innings. Henry struck out two and didn't walk a batter.
"Kennedy was amazing today," Moore said. "We didn't know how Game 2 was going to go, and our plan kind of went out the window. But once Kennedy found her rhythm, it clicked, and she saved and won that game for us."
Hill finished 2-for-5 on the afternoon, with both hits and an RBI in the nightcap. Williams and Woodruff were both 2-for-6, with Woodruff belting two doubles in Game 2. Myers finished the day 2-for-7 and
Jenica Brown was 2-for-8.
Terrific Defense
The left side of that Scots infield was solid all day, with Myers at shortstop and Williams at third. Both had five assists and played errorless ball. Brown ran down seven fly balls in center and even threw out a runner at the plate in the fifth inning of Game 2, holding the Lions to a single run and keeping the score a manageable 4-1 to set the stage for the late heroics.
Megan Ackerman was a tough-luck loser in Game 1, allowing just two earned runs and scattering nine hits in a complete game effort. Brown and Koonce had two hits apiece in that first game for the Scots.
Mount St. Joseph got home runs from Kaci Finchum and Elizabeth Ivers in the opener, with the pitcher Keller going deep in Game 2. The Lions are 1-3 after two close losses Saturday at No. 19 Birmingham-Southern.
The Scots are back in action next Saturday and Sunday in the Maryville College Invitational. Three games are scheduled on both days, with No. 5-ranked Berry and Wittenberg joining the Scots for two full afternoons of softball.
Play begins Saturday at noon and Sunday at 10 a.m. The two visiting teams play each other in the first games both days, and then Maryville plays the last two on Saturday and Sunday.
