CARLINVILLE, Ill. – Mississippi University for Women softball split its St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) doubleheader at Blackburn College, to close out the 2024 regular season. The Owls (21-17, 7-9 SLIAC) won the opener, 4-2, but came up short in game two, 4-3, versus the Beavers (17-18, 6-7 SLIAC).
In game one, The W jumped out to a 3-0 lead early.
Alysa Newman (1-3) had an RBI bunt single in the first that plated
Jessica Deming (3-4). Then,
Reagan Newell (1-3) cracked a two-run home run, her third roundtripper of the year, to extend MUW's lead.
In the second,
Kaitlyn Bearley (0-2) laid down a squeeze that drove in
Emilee Slade from third, making it 4-1.
That would be more than enough for
Rylie Grisham in the circle. Grisham notched her third complete game to improve her personal record to 7-2. She scattered 10 hits and gave up two earned runs.
In game two, the Beavers eagerly built a lead by scoring four time in the third frame.
RBI singles by Bearley in the fifth and seventh innings cut the deficit in half. Newman's sacrifice fly got MUW to with a run, before the final out was recorded.
Deming went 2-for-2, with a triple, and scored twice. Bearley and
Maiya Joe each went 2-for-3 in the second game.
Avery Byerley (3-6) took the loss, going 3.0 innings and permitting just two earned runs.
Baylee McWilliams threw the final three innings, not permitting a hit or a run.
