The Basics
Score: No. 22 Grand View 7, Evangel 2
Records: Evangel (31-18); Grand View (40-10)
Location: Busse Field

Box Score

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Evangel's postseason run at the 2021 Heart of America Athletic Conference Softball Championship came to an end with a 7-2 setback to No. 22 Grand View Saturday afternoon at Busse Field.

The top-seeded Vikings scored in three-consecutive innings to turn a tie game into a five-run affair, as Heart Conference Newcomer of the Year Hannah Pals drove in three runs to help Grand View advance to another elimination contest against Baker later this afternoon.

Pals broke a 2-2 tie with her two-out, RBI-double in the third, following a two-run Evangel rally in the top half of the inning. The junior added a two-run single to power the Vikings' three-run rally the following inning, finishing the game 2-for-3 at the plate.

Kami Holt and Mariah Hanner paced EU's attack with 2-for-4 performances, while Ashlie Marshall went 2-for-2.

Evangel wasted little time in generating the game's first scoring opportunity, using a Megan Stone single and back-to-back walks to load the bases in the top of the first with nobody out.

GVU starting pitcher Jessica Walljasper quickly recovered to retire the next three hitters, including two via strikeouts, to keep EU off the scoreboard.

The Vikings seized a 2-0 lead in the second, taking advantage of a Lauren Kuch single and a pair of walks to spark the rally. Julia Bastian's two-out single plated a pair of GVU runs to give her club the early momentum.

But EU responded in the top half of the third, as Holt's single sparked a two-out rally. After Holt lined a base hit through the left side of the GVU infield, Kaydran Russell chased her home with a triple into the left-center field gap, and Hanner evened the score at 2-2 with a double to left.

GVU delivered more two-out magic of its own in the bottom of the third, as Kuch drew a free base after being hit by a 3-2 Ashland Diggs (4-2) pitch, and Pals doubled her home for a 3-2 Vikings lead.

Pals would haunt EU with another clutch two-out hit in the fourth, this time driving in a pair of GVU baserunners with a base hit to right to highlight the three-run inning. Kaylee Watson added a run-scoring single to spark the rally that handed stretched the Vikings' lead to four runs.

Walljasper (15-3) worked a complete game to earn the victory, allowing two runs on nine hits while striking out six EU batters.

Abby Jo Emmitt finished the contest in the circle, notching four strikeouts in 2.2 innings to top off her season total at 165—the fifth-best single-season strikeout total in Evangel softball history. Her 16 pitching victories also rank eighth all-time on EU's single-season chart.

Evangel closes its 2021 campaign with an overall mark of 31-18, marking its best finish since 2016 while matching a program high for victories in a season under sixth-year head coach Jay Halbrook.

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—