WARRENSBURG, Mo. – MSU Moorhead sophomore
Azalya Lopez twirled a shutout to help the Dragons sweep a Thursday doubleheader against Central Missouri.
The Dragons took game one, 5-2, as Lopez would hurl her shutout in game two en route to a 2-0 victory.
Game One
MSUM would attempt to rally following a loss on Wednesday evening that saw them leave nine runners on base.
Lizzy Davis would earn a first inning single before moving to second base on a wild pitch.
Mack Gallagher would mash a double in the next at-bat to drive Davis in and give MSUM a swift 1-0 lead. Central Missouri would have their best early chance in the second inning as they would get three runners on. Dragon starter
Eliya Johnson would work her way out of the two-out pickle with a ground out.
Johnson would double in the next inning, but MSUM was unable to extend their lead beyond one run. The Jennies would even the count in the home half due to a wild pitch and a Dragon error. In the top of the fourth inning, the Dragon offense really came to life as
Chloe Makinney would hit an RBI double with one out.
Olivia Goderis, who had walked to lead off the frame, crossed home on Makinney's hit. The freshman would move to third base as
Eliyah McCarthy would single in the next at-bat.
Azalya Lopez would drive Makinney in on a sacrifice fly in the ensuing at-bat. From there, Davis would drive McCarthy in with an RBI triple. The outburst helped put the Dragon lead at 4-1. That lead would hold true into the fifth inning as
Teagan Clemmons would pitch a scoreless bottom of the fourth. Clemmons would notch her second strikeout of the game to close a hitless fifth inning.
MSUM would continue to bring the heat in the bottom of the sixth as
Hannah Losee would single to lead off the inning. Makinney and McCarthy would each bunt Losee to third base with Lopez set to step in. The sophomore struck again for her second RBI of the game on a single which drove Losee home. While Clemmons would surrender a run in the home half of the sixth, MSUM would remain in front, 5-2, with an inning to play.
In search of an insurance run,
Evey Evans would grab a double in the top of the seventh. Evans would move to third on a passed ball before Goderis walked for the second time. Despite having runners at the corners, MSUM would be unable to bring any runs across as Central Missouri had one final shot in the seventh. Clemmons would give up a one-out walk, but it would not cost the Dragons as the freshman scored two quick outs thereafter to win the game for MSUM.
MSUM's pitching duo of Johnson and Clemmons only gave up three total hits to the Jennies.
Game Two
The Dragons would strike first again to start game two as Gallagher reached base on an error to begin the first frame. Gallagher would end up in scoring position as speedster
Grace Oeltjen pinch ran. Evans would move Oeltjen over to third base on a ground out before
Sam Centeno would drive her in with a single.
MSUM starter
Azalya Lopez was strong in the early innings, only giving up a pair of hits with four strikeouts through three innings. In the middle innings, Lopez would retire six straight Jennies. Lopez would total two more strikeouts in that stretch as the Dragons would remain in front, 1-0. MSUM would tack on a run in the top of the sixth on a Central Missouri throwing error. While Lopez surrendered a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth, she would respond by getting out of the frame unscathed.
In the seventh inning, MSUM eyed another insurance run as Centeno singled to begin the top half. Losee would pinch run and move into scoring position as Goderis was hit by a pitch.
Annika Norman would advance both runners in the next at-bat with a sacrifice bunt, putting two Dragons in scoring position. However, credit goes to Central Missouri pitcher Brooke Weimer who put together back-to-back strikeouts to close the inning for MSUM.
Lopez would look to complete the shutout as Central Missouri looked for a late rally. The Jennies worked out a leadoff walk before Lopez responded with a strikeout. Central Missouri was down to its final out with a runner on first base. Lopez would end the game and earn the first complete game shutout of her career. The Corona, Calif., native fanned seven Jennies in the win.
Up Next
The Dragons (11-7) will now travel to St. Joseph, Mo., for a Friday doubleheader with Missouri Western which is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
