2020 Season
Edmond Region Festival III
Midwestern State (2-13) vs Nebraska-Kearney (6-8)
Sunday, February 23 – 11 a.m.
Tom Heath Field at Lawson Plaza | Edmond, Oklahoma
Series: Nebraska-Kearney leads 1-0
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Live Stats
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Midwestern State closes out play at the Edmond Regional Festival III on Sunday afternoon against Nebraska-Kearney. First pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Midwestern State and Pittsburg State (Kan.) traded blows on Saturday morning at the Broncho Softball Stadium. But a back and forth contest swung in favor of the Gorillas during a four-run fourth inning in what became a 9-6 loss for the Mustangs at the Edmond Regional Festival III. Down 2-0 before they came to bat, the Mustangs erupted for three runs in the bottom of the first. With two runners on and two outs,
Kelsey Eropkin reached on an error that scored a run before
Marley Eller drove in two with a single to center that gave the Mustangs a 3-2 lead. Pittsburg State tied the game in the top of the second on a Kylee Bohle home run but once again, MSU Texas responded.
Carson Solis singled to start the bottom of the second, one of three hits on the day for the junior. After
Katlyn Frakes and
Bailey Wamsley were retired,
Ashley Turner singled ahead of a two-run double off the bat of
Lauren Lindgren that made it 5-3 in favor of the Mustangs. Solis continued her big day in the third, plating Eropkin with a single. The Gorillas took the lead for good in the fourth. Following three straight walks to start the inning, Makenzie Goswick knocked in a run with a single to right before Mareika Turpen tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run single. A Kianna Pellegrino sacrifice fly gave PSU the lead. Pittsburg State added a pair of runs in the sixth.
Bailey Brenek smacked her first collegiate home but the Mustangs dropped a 7-3 contest to the Fort Hays State (Kan.) Tigers on Saturday afternoon at the Broncho Softball Stadium. Down 7-0 in the seventh and down to their final out, Brenek swatted a 3-0 pitch with two runners aboard over the wall in left. The freshman finished 2-for-4 and is hitting .295 on the season. Fort Hays State scored four runs in the bottom of the second to break the scoreless game. Katie Adler smacked a two-run triple to right before scoring on a wild pitch. The Tigers added a run later in the inning on a Kristen Reed double. Elise Capra's three-run home run in the fifth finished off the scoring for Fort Hays State.
SERIES HISTORY
MSU Texas dropped the first ever meeting between the two schools last Friday in Wichita Falls, falling to the Lopers 9-3 at the MSU Texas Invitational.
BRENEK'S FIRST BLAST
Bailey Brenek smacked the first home run of her collegiate career on Saturday, a three-run shot to left. The freshman is hitting .295 on the season.
LINDGREN'S LIGHTING IT UP
Lauren Lindgren had three hits on Saturday against Fort Hays State (Kan.) and is 5-for-8 with two RBI over the last two games. The senior is hitting a team best .400 and has a team-high 10 runs knocked in.
STREAK SNAPPED
Midwestern State's win over No. 22 Rogers State (Okla.) ended a 20-game losing streak to ranked opponents. Prior to Friday, the Mustangs' last win over a top 25 win came on March 9, 2018 against No. 11 Texas A&M-Commerce (5-4). Current senior
Lauren Lindgren went 1-for-3 with an RBI and current assistant coach
Amanda Thomas finished 1-for-3 with a run.
SCOUTING THE LOPERS
Nebraska-Kearney has dropped four straight games at the Edmond Regional Festival III and five straight games overall. Kaitlyn Johnson is hitting a team best .417 with four home runs and 12 RBI. Johnson did not play against the Mustangs last week. Sarah Handrahan has pitched to a 3.07 ERA this season (13 2/3 innings) while Erin Hallman is 2-4 with a 3.94 ERA.
ABOUT THE LAST TIME
Lauren Lindgren smashed her first home run of the season to continue her torrid pace at the plate, but Nebraska-Kearney scored runs in each of the first five innings to pull away from the Mustangs, 9-3, on Friday morning at the MSU Texas Invitational held at Mustangs Park. Down 2-0 in the bottom of the first, Lindgren hammered a 1-1 offering over the wall in left to cut the deficit to 2-1. The senior is hitting .428 with four RBI through the season's first eight games. After the Lopers pushed across a run in the third on an Alexis Ray single, the Mustangs quickly tied the game. With runners at first and second and one out,
Anna Williams laced a run scoring single to right. During the next at bat, with runners at the corners, Williams tried to steal second and was thrown out. But
Kelsey Eropkin broke for the plate and scored easily to tie the game at 3-3. The Lopers scored single runs in the fourth and fifth to take a 5-3 lead before breaking the game open with a three-run fifth. Carlee Leisch, who finished 2-for-4, delivered the key hit in the frame with a two-run single. UNK added a run in the the seventh.
CATCHING UP WITH COACH RYAL
Mark Ryal begins his fourth season as head coach after serving in an interim capacity in 2017. Last season, Ryal guided the Mustangs to a 22-19 (13-17) record. The 22 wins marked the program's highest total since the 2016 season. Overall, the Dewar, Oklahoma native has compiled a 58-82 (32-58) record during his time in Wichita Falls.
UP NEXT
The start of Lone Star Conference play as the Mustangs travel to Silver City, New Mexico to take on Western New Mexico on February 28 in a doubleheader.
-- MSUMustangs.com --
