WAYNE, Neb. – Elia DeLozier went 5-for-6 at the plate across both games, but CSC pitching gave up a four-run inning late in both games as the Eagle softball team fell 6-0 to Nebraska-Kearney and 4-3 to Wayne State to conclude their weekend at the Wildcat Dome.
The Lopers (5-3) scored four runs in the fifth inning of their win before Wayne State (3-0) scored four sixth-inning runs to take the lead after Chadron State (0-9) had scored three unearned runs to take the lead.
In the first game of the day, UNK's Teilar Fry became the second Loper pitcher in as many days to throw a shutout against the Eagles, throwing all seven innings and allowing six hits and a walk while striking out two. The Eagles had a prime scoring opportunity when
Brianna Cordray tripled to lead off the second, but three consecutive groundouts stranded the runner.
DeLozier was Fry's kryptonite on the day, singling in all three at-bats against her, but Fry scattered her baserunners and did not allow the Eagles to string anything together. Between their six hits and one walk, Chadron State tallied exactly one baserunner in all seven innings against the Lopers, but never put multiple runners on during the game.
In the circle, the Eagles gave a start to freshman
McKenna Sides, who allowed two runs in the first inning but recovered to retire the Lopers in order in both the second and third innings. UNK broke out in the fourth, however, loading the bases with three singles with one out before a three-run triple and sac fly made it 6-0.
Sides got one out in the fifth before surrendering her third walk and being lifted for
Belle Akins. All three of Sides's walks came within her final five batters faced. Akins shut UNK down the rest of the way, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit with no walks and striking out two.
Chadron State took advantage of sloppy play by Wayne State to take the lead through five innings of game two. In the first inning, DeLozier singled with one out before
Elizabeth Thorngren reached on a throwing error by the WSC pitcher, traveling all the way to third while DeLozier scored.
The Eagles mounted another threat in the third inning when
Tiffani Mein singled and
Katelynn Czerpak reached on an error to put two CSC runners on with no out. DeLozier bunted the runners into scoring position and Thorngren and Cordray worked walks to force in a run.
The Eagles added a third in the fourth inning. With two outs and
Macie Selfors on second after being hit by a pitch, Czerpak reached on another throwing error, which allowed Selfors to circle and score for CSC's third unearned run of the contest.
A key error came back to bite Chadron State in the bottom of the sixth. Wayne State scored its first run with two outs on an RBI single before another hit put runners on first and second. A ground ball to shortstop turned into a fielding error, extending the inning and scoring another run, before Wayne State took advantage of the extra out by coming through with a two-run single to take a 4-3 lead.
Wayne State struck out the side in the seventh inning sandwiched around a DeLozier single, her fifth hit of the day.
Brynn Trujillo pitched all six innings and allowed five hits and four runs, but just one earned run, while striking out five and walking one.
