Columbia, Mo. –The 15th ranked Columbia College softball team was back in action when they hosted the Park University Pirates in an AMC doubleheader. The Cougars won the first game by a score of 5-0 and lost the second game by a final score of 3-2 to move to 23-10 on the season and 16-2 in conference play.
In the first game, the Cougars were able to take the lead 2-0 after two innings of play. As the Pirates struggled to get their offense rolling, Columbia added two more runs in the fourth and topped the game off with one more run in the fifth as they held the Pirates scoreless throughout to win by a score of 5-0 in game one.
Lexi Dickerson was the winning pitcher as she allowed five hits and struck out four batters in her seven innings of work. Offensively, Natalie Dummitt went 1-2 with two runs scored, Olivia Denslow went 1-3 with one run scored and one RBI, Julianna Waldner went 3-3 with one run scored and one RBI, and Allison Keen went 1-1 with two RBI's.
In the second game of the doubleheader, each team was looking to find their groove. Columbia held a 1-0 lead after the third, however in the top of the fifth the Pirates were able to find three runs to take a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Cougars were able to grab one run cutting the lead to 3-2, but that was as close as Columbia would get as they dropped the second game 3-2 to the Pirates.
Kaitlyn Nottelmann was on the mound for the Cougars as she allowed four hits, three earned runs, and struck out five batters in seven innings of work. Offensively, Rachel Sullivan went 2-3 with two RBI's, Denslow went 1-3 with one run scored, Emerson Yakle went 1-2 with one run scored, and Keen was 1-1 with one RBI.
The Cougars are back in action Friday, April 20th when they travel to Henderson, Tennessee to face the Freed-Hardeman University Lions in an AMC doubleheader. The first game of the doubleheader is set to start at 2:00 p.m. with the second game to follow.
