Game 1: Evangel 4, Park 2 | Box Score
Game 2: Evangel 6, Park 5 | Box Score
Records: Evangel (29-12, 18-11); Park (8-32, 8-28)
Location: Park Softball Complex

PARKVILLE, Mo. – Evangel rode a pair of late-inning rallies to overcome Park leads and earn a Heart of America Athletic Conference sweep of the Pirates Friday afternoon.

Ali Raley drove in three runs on the day, while Marissa Lokey totaled three hits to lead the Evangel offense in the twin bill.

EU also benefited from the standout relief work of Ashland Diggs and Abby Jo Emmitt, who each delivered shutdown performances in the late innings.

Game 1 – Evangel 4, Park 2
Evangel overcame a 2-1 deficit by scoring three times in the top of the sixth inning to pull out the 4-2 victory. Raley drove in a pair of runs for EU, including the equalizing tally on her ground ball to short in the sixth that scored Kaydran Russell from third.

Diggs (4-1) earned the victory in circle for Evangel after tossing 4.2 innings of one-hit relief.

Park built its one-run lead in the third, after a hit batsman, an EU error and a pair of walks forced home the go-ahead run for a 2-1 Pirate lead.

Diggs retired eight of the next nine Park hitters in succession, however. She permitted a two-out Kourtney Brooks single in the sixth, before the Pirates put the potential tying run on base in the seventh via a walk and an error.

But the right-hander squashed the rally by inducing back-to-back fly balls to end the contest.

Raley, who doubled home Russell in the first to give EU an early 1-0 lead, finished 2-for-4 to lead the offense, and Mariah Hanner added a pair of hits as well.

Game 2 – Evangel 6, Park 5
Trailing by a single run once again in game two, Evangel delivered yet another comeback rally to complete the sweep. EU scored two runs in the fifth to take a 4-3 lead, then added two more in the seventh before holding off a Park threat in the home half of the inning.

After a Lokey base hit and a walk to Hanner sparked a two-out scoring chance in the fifth, Ashlie Marshall's two-run single to left put Evangel on top to stay.

Kami Holt, who led Evangel with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate, gave her club some breathing room with a two-run homer in the seventh that stretched the EU lead to 6-3.

Park's Lexie Duncan matched Holt's two-run homer with one of her own in the bottom of the seventh, but Emmitt (15-4) extinguished the Pirates' hopes of a rally with a game-ending strikeout to secure the win.

Raley gave Evangel an early 1-0 lead with a first-inning sacrifice fly, and Lokey singled home Russell in the third to make it a two-run EU advantage.

But the Pirates erupted for three runs in the fourth to seize the lead, with the key blow coming on Meggen Keller's two-run single.

Emmitt would work the final 3.1 innings, striking out four and allowing just the two seventh-inning runs on two total hits to earn her 34^th career victory.

Up Next
Evangel will take on Central Methodist in a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday (May 1) in Fayette, Mo.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics, Twitter (@EUAthletics), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the new Evangel Athletics Gameday App through Google Play.  

–EvangelAthletics.com–