Courtesy Lyon College Athletics Department
BATESVILLE, Ark. – After clinching a spot in this weekend’s American Midwest Conference Postseason Tournament over the weekend, the Lyon College softball team was hoping to gain some momentum when it hosted Mid-Continent University Monday at Howard & Mary House Field. After falling to the Cougars, 14-3, in the opener, the Scots led Game 2, only to drop the game, 6-3, in eight innings on Senior Day.
Lyon College will now take its 11-37 season record and No. 7-seed in the eight-team AMC postseason party, and try to turn the tables on No. 2-seed Park (26-6). The squads will play a best-of-three series, beginning on Friday in Parkville, Mo. The first two games will be played Friday. A third game, if necessary, will be played on Saturday in Parkville.
Other first-round mini-series include No. 1-seed Williams Baptist hosting No. 8-seed Harris-Stowe State University, third-seeded Columbia College hosting No. 6-seed Missouri Baptist University, and No. 4-seed William Woods University hosting fifth-seeded Hannibal-LaGrange University.
The winners of the best-of-three series will advance to the double-elimination bracket, with the quarterfinals being hosted by the higher remaining seed and a to-be-determined site to be designated to host the semifinals and final rounds. The final rounds are set for May 2-3.
The champion of the tournament will automatically qualify for the NAIA Softball National Tournament.
Mid-Continent 14, Lyon College 3 (Game 1)
Lyon College suffered through eight errors in the opener, as the Cougars (11-25) scored nine unearned runs en route to a 14-3 win in five innings.
The Scots were outhit, 13-5, in the contest. Lyon shortstop Kelsey Goodman went 1-for-2, with a walk and a run scored, and Lauren Mills, the lone senior, also went 1-for-2.
Lyon catcher Valerie Howell singled and drove in a run, second baseman Savannah Graham singled and drove in a run and rightfielder Haley Seger picked up a base hit. Centerfielder Apple Filat and first baseman Amanda McCauley also scored a run.
Mid-Continent’s Colby Smith went 3-for-4, with a three-run home run and a double, four runs batted in and three runs scored. Rachel Brueggeman produced a grand slam home run during a 2-for-4 effort. She also scored twice.
Mills (10-21) absorbed the loss for the Scots. She allowed just five earned runs in a complete-game effort, giving up 13 hits, while striking out four and walking one.
Lindsey Rucker (9-15) was the winning hurler. She pitched four innings, giving up two unearned runs on three hits, with four strikeouts and no walks. Smith came out of the field in relief, allowing one run on two hits and a pair of walks in the finale inning.
Mid-Continent 6, Lyon College 3 (Game 2)
Lyon College took a 2-0 lead in the opening frame and led 3-2 heading into the seventh inning, but couldn’t hold on in Game 2 as the Cougars came from behind for a 6-3 victory in eight innings.
The Cougars used just one hit and some key base running to score the tying run in the seventh frame. The Scots tried to end the game in the bottom of the frame, but could only produce one runner, which was left standing on first.
Using the International Tiebreaker rule, Mid-Continent scored three runs in the top of the eighth off of three hits, and then kept the Scots without a hit in the bottom of the frame to grab the win.
Mills (10-22) took the loss, giving up six runs on 10 hits, with five strikeouts and a walk. Rucker (10-15) picked up the win, scattering nine hits and three runs over eight frames. She also struck out six and walked one.
Howell connected with her school-record 11th home run of the season to lead the Lyon offense. She also drove in two runs. McCauley singled twice in four at-bats, Goodman produced a 2-for-4 effort, with a pair of runs scored, and Seger went 2-for-4. Filat singled and Mills doubled.
Bry Navarro paced the Cougars with a perfect 3-for-3 outing, scoring a run.