The Basics

Game 1: #25 Evangel 16, Crowley's Ridge 3 (5 inn.) | Box Score

Game 2: #25 Evangel 8, Stephens 6 | Box Score

Record: Evangel (4-0), Crowley's Ridge (0-4), Stephens (1-3)

Location: Branson, Mo. (Branson RecPlex)

BRANSON, Mo. – Valor Softball concluded the Branson Bash on Saturday (Feb. 7) afternoon, taking on the Crowley's Ridge College Pioneers and the Stephens Stars at the Branson RecPlex.

Evangel dominated their matchup with CRC, winning 16-3 in five innings of play. Against Stephens, the Valor and Stars played a tightly contested matchup, but EU came out on top with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, 8-6.

NOTABLE

• Maddy Meierer earned the win against CRC, not allowing a single hit and striking out six batters in three innings.

• Madi Bentley earned the win over Stephens, striking out eight batters in the complete game effort.

• Evangel went 26-57 (.456) at the plate on Saturday, with Audrey Carlton leading the way with five RBIs and just a single shy of the cycle against CRC.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Kenna Mayfield, Camryn Casey, and Natalie Morgan all worked walks in the first inning against CRC. Danielle Cutbirth reached on an error to score Mayfield, while a Lauren Dill groundout scored Casey. Audrey Carlton hit a triple to score Morgan and Cutbirth, while a Karli Facklam single scored Carlton, giving EU a 5-0 lead.

• Naomi Perkins singled and scored on a Morgan double, while Morgan came around to score on a Cutbirth double, making it a 7-0 ballgame.

• In the top of the 3rd, Carlton doubled and scored on a Chloe Krans double. Krans came around to score on a Mayfield single, while Perkins ripped a triple to score Mayfield in the inning. A passed ball allowed Perkins to score, while Camryn Casey hit a solo home run to make it a 12-0 EU lead. Marli Perkins singled and Hayleigh Shubert doubled, giving Carlton an opportunity to drive in more runs. Audrey did just that, hitting a three run blast to make the Evangel lead 15-0 in the third inning.

• Meierer's day was done at the end of the third inning and Evangel added another run to their total, taking a 16-3 win in five innings.

• Kenna Mayfield opened the matchup with Stephens with a solo home run on the opening at-bat of the game.

• The Stars tied the game up 1-1 after scoring in the top of the second inning.

• Facklam singled, followed by a Krans walk, and Mayfield bunt single to load the bases. Perkins ripped a double to left field to score Facklam and Krans, while Casey hit a sacrifice fly to score Mayfield, giving EU a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the second.

• Stephens added a pair of runs in the top of the 5th inning, trailing by just a run, but Evangel responded with a pair of runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Morgan singled and scored on a Shubert single, while Facklam singled to score Shubert, making it a 6-3 game.

• Stephens tied the game up in the top of the sixth, 6-6.

• Mayfield singled to open the bottom of the sixth, scoring on an error from the Stars defense. A Morgan double scored Perkins, who had gotten on from the same error that Mayfield scored, giving the Valor a 8-6 lead.

• Madi Bentley struck out three batters in the top of the seventh inning as EU took a 8-6 win over the Stars.

UP NEXT

Evangel Softball travels to Kansas City on Friday and Saturday (Feb. 13/14) afternoon, taking part in the KC Softball Invite.

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