EUGENE, Ore. – Sophomore
Emma Jegtvig tied a career-high with nine strike outs, leading the NCU softball team to victory in the opening game of a double-header with the University of Providence on Friday. NCU took game one, 4-2 before dropping the second, 10-8.
Jegtvig had her fifth complete game of the season and allowed just one earned run and four hits to improve to 3-5 on the season. Offensively, the Beacons had seven hits, led by two from
Jordan Kuykendall. Senior Jess Garner added a single and scored twice while also tying her own school-record with three stolen bases.
The Beacons got on the board with two runs in the first. Garner singled to open the contest and later scored on an RBI squeeze bunt from
Tra Kucera. Kucera scored as well, on a double by Jegtvig.
NCU added a run in the second that proved to be the difference-maker, giving NCU a 3-0 lead on a single from
Noel Balderston that scored Garner.
Providence got on the board in the fifth, receiving an RBI double from the pinch-hitting Ashley Wood. They added an unearned run as well when Wood scored after a miscue in the infield.
Hannah Van Domelen (1-3) went the distance for the Argonauts, allowing four earned runs while striking out three.
NCU seemed to be well in control in game one, but things devolved quickly. Four runs in the second inning gave NCU a 5-0 lead. The top of the third inning was one that the home team would like to forget as it saw UP scored nine runs with just two earned. The Argos had 13 players come to the plate and collected five hits while the Beacons committed four errors.
The Argos held on for the 10-8 win as the teams combined for 21 hits and seven errors.
Four players recorded two hits apiece for Providence, led by Van Domelen who had a pair of doubles, a run and two RBI. In the circle, Brieanna Clifford (1-3) grabbed her first win of the season with a complete-game effort, striking out eight batters while giving up five earned runs on ten hits.
Shay Shropshire (0-5) took the loss for the Beacons as she was unable to get out of that destructive third inning, despite allowing just two earned runs among her seven. Jegtvig came in in relief and struck out five batters in 4.2 innings while allowing one earned run.
Kucera proved to have the big bat for the Beacons, going 3-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBI.
Avery Daniels and
Rene Brabham had two hits apiece in the loss.
The Beacons (3-12, 1-4 CCC) and Argonauts (2-7, 2-6) will face off again on Saturday for two more. The three-game CCC series will conclude with the 11:00 am game, followed by a non-conference tilt at 1:00 pm.
