NEVADA, Mo. – In a rescheduled American Midwest Conference doubleheader Wednesday afternoon, Stephens College softball dropped both games to Cottey College, falling 1-9 in five innings in the opener before being shut out 0-6 in game two at Gene Rogers Field.
The losses drop the Stars to 15-22 overall and 9-10 in conference play heading into the final game of the regular season.
Game 1: Cottey 9, Stephens 1 (5 Innings)
Cottey broke open a 1-0 game with a six-run third inning, using five hits and two Stephens errors to build a commanding 7-0 lead. The Comets strung together a series of hits, including a three-run double.
Stephens found life in the fourth. Elise Kendrick led off with a single and advanced to third on a base hit by Katie Dennis. Kyndal Vincent brought Kendrick home with a single to center, but the Stars left two stranded.
Dennis (7-8) started in the circle, going three innings before giving way to Greenlee Adams. The Comets added two more runs in the fifth to enforce the run-rule finish.
Celeste Athon led the Stars with a 2-for-2 effort at the plate, while Kendrick, Dennis, and Vincent each added a hit.
Game 2: Cottey 6, Stephens 0
In game two, the Comets jumped ahead early, scoring two runs in the first and never looking back.
The Stars threatened at the top of the first when Kara Krieger doubled and advanced to third on a bunt, but Cottey escaped the jam. Stephens again put runners on base in the third and fifth innings but could not bring them around to score.
Kendrick (5-11) pitched four innings and struck out two. Savannah Greathouse tossed two scoreless relief innings, holding the Comets to just one hit after a long weather delay.
Stephens will travel to Fulton, Mo., for its final road test of the regular season on Thursday, April 24. The team will play a doubleheader at William Woods University. The first pitches are scheduled for 2 and 4 p.m.
