Springfield, Mo. – A late MidAmerica Nazarene rally in game one set the stage to spoil the final home games of 2016 for Evangel softball as the Crusaders were swept in a doubleheader by the Pioneers on Wednesday at the Evangel Softball Complex in Springfield. The Crusaders lost game one 8-4 and the second game 5-1.
The losses dropped Evangel to third place in the Heart of America conference standings and sent their record to 28-13 and 14-6 in the league. With Evangel's loss to Williams Baptist yesterday, it marks the first time this season the Crusaders have lost three straight games.
The Pioneers improved to 22-16 and 12-10 in the conference.
Evangel owned a lead from the first inning until the seventh inning of game one but fell 8-4. The Crusaders took a 2-1 advantage in the opening frame on a two-RBI double by Caitlyn Buckalew. Evangel added two more in the third inning on RBI singles by Kasey Zukow and Kiara Carrier and had a 4-1 lead until the late innings.
MidAmerica Nazarene pulled within a run of the lead in the sixth scoring twice, then rallied with a five-run seventh inning. A double by Macie Jones that scored two runs gave the Pioneers the lead and Lydia Reyes put the game out of reach with a three-run homer. Reyes ended the game going 2 for 4 with five RBIs.
Buckalew went 2 for 3 for the Crusaders with a double and two RBIs.
The Crusaders had an early lead in game two as well going up 1-0 in the second inning on a bunt by Jessica Cook that scored Buckalew from third base.
That was all offense Evangel could get, though, off Pioneers pitcher Megan Deiter (9-5) who went seven innings allowing five hits and one unearned run with three walks and 10 strikeouts.
Maddie Johnson's two-RBI single in the fourth inning MidAmerica Nazarene their first lead of the game. The Pioneers added two more runs in the sixth and another in the seventh inning.
Katie Tollefson went 2 for 4 for Evangel with a double and a stolen base.
Evangel ends the regular season on Friday with a conference doubleheader at Missouri Valley. Game time is 1 p.m. in Marshall, Missouri.
