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Walk Off Home Run and a Blowout Highlight 2 Wins for Pioneer Softball

Walk Off Home Run and a Blowout Highlight 2 Wins for Pioneer Softball
Posted: Apr 06, 2023

Game 1 - Pioneers 6... Bismarck State 5

Things were looking bleak for the MCC Pioneer softball team with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th inning and a runner at 1st base trailing 5-4 to the Bismarck State Mystics. That is when sophomore 1B Hazel Eaton cranked a walk-off game winning 2-run home run to lift MCC to a 6-5 win in the opening game of the MonDak Conference softball season. 

Eaton's 3-4 (2 HR, 4 RBI, 2R) effort highlighted the come from behind victory to stretch the Pioneer winning streak to 8 games. 

MCC got on the board first with a run in the bottom of the 2nd inning when CF Skylar Higgs (Livingston, MT) hit a solo home run to center field. Bismarck State got the run back in the top of the 3rd to tie the score at 1-1. The Mystics then took a 3-1 lead in the top of the 4th. The Pioneers quickly answered that rally with 3 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning. DP Megan Johnson (Preston, ID) singled to start the inning and Hazel Eaton hit her 1st home run of the game to tie the score at 3-3. 3B Taylor Feller (Laurel, MT) then singled and advanced to 2nd on a ground out. Feller stole 3rd and then scored on another ground out to give the Pioneers a 4-3 lead. 

Bismarck State tied the game in the top of the 5th with a solo home run and took a 5-4 lead on a sacrifice fly later in the inning. All of that lead to Eaton's heroics in the 7th. After the 1st two batters of the inning got out, Megan Johnson singled and Eaton followed that with a home run. 

Arin Eaton (Belgrade, MT) started the game in the circle for MCC and pitched 3 innings (4H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 SO). Peyton Whitehead (Joliet, MT) pitched the final 4 innings (4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 SO)

Inside the Box Score

  • LF Liz Ybarra (Belgrade, MT) had a 2-4 effort at the plate. Higgs finished 2-4 (HR, RBI, R) and Megan Johnson was also 2-4. C HaiLeigh Davis (Shepherd, MT) was 2-3 at the plate.
  • MCC had 13 hits to 8 for BSC.
  • Pioneer pitchers walked 5 Mystic batters. The Pioneers did not get a free pass during the game. 
  • The Mystics committed one error and the Pioneers had none.

Game 2 - Pioneers 18... Bismarck State 8 (5 Innings)

The bats for both teams were smoking hot to start the game andThe MCC Pioneers kept it rolling while the pitching of Madi Henry (Spanish Fork, Utah) cooled off the Mystic bats over the final 3 innings as the Pioneers had a 18-8 (5 Innings) victory to sweep the 2-game series. 

MCC started the game off with 2 runs in the 1st after Liz Ybarra walked and Skylar Higgs hit her 2nd home run of the day for a 2-0 lead. Bismarck State took a quick 3-2 lead with 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st. The Pioneers answered that with 5 runs in the top of the 2nd inning. HaiLeigh Davis walked and Shannon Nelson (Livingston, MT) singled. SS Sierra John (Idaho Falls, ID) sacrifice bunted the runners to 2nd and 3rd. RF Cassidy Bagnell (Frenchtown, MT) walked to load up the bases. Liz Ybarra then singled to drive in 2 runs for a 4-3 lead. Higgs followed that with an RBI single that moved Ybarra to 2nd. With 2 outs, Taylor Feller doubled to drive in Ybarra and Higgs to give the Pioneers a 7-3 lead. 

Bismarck State answered with 5 runs in the bottom of the 2nd to take a short lived 8-7 lead. The Pioneers blew the game out of reach with 7 runs in the 3rd inning. Davis walked and Nelson singled to left to put runners on 1st and 2nd. After John lined out, Bagnell hit an RBI single to score Davis. Ybarra then had a 2 RBI single and that was followed by a Higgs single to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Hazel Eaton kept her hot bat going with a RBI double and Feller followed that up with another RBI double, runners at 2nd and 3rd, and a 12-8 lead. Eaton scored on a ground out by Morgan Lampshire and Feller moved to 3rd and scored on passed ball. 

 MCC finished things off with a 4-run 4th inning. Bagnell walked and stole 2nd base. Ybarra then tripled Bagnell home. Higgs followed that up with a triple of her own and a 16-8 lead. Feller smacked an RBI single and Lamphsire and Davis each singled to load the bases. Nelson then walked to bring in Feller for the final run of the game. Neither team scored in the 5th inning. 

Madi Henry pitched a complete game 5 innings (9 H, 8 R, 2 BB, 3 SO).

Inside the Box Score

  • Higgs had a 4-5 effort (HR, 3B, 4 RBI, 4 R) and Ybarra was 3-3 (3B, 4 R, 5 RBI). Feller was also 3-3 (2 2B, 2 R, 4 RBI) and Nelson had a 3-3 day (RBI, 2 R). Davis was 2-2 (2 R) as the Pioneers smacked 19 hits in 5 innings. 
  • The Pioneers committed 2 errors and BSC had none.
  • The Mystics had 9 hits and Mystic pitching gave up 8 walks. 

MCC is 17-2 now and will host Williston State on Saturday afternoon.