The Wayne State softball team finished an 0-4 weekend in the Hy-Vee Classic Softball tournament with a pair of losses Sunday in Maryville, Mo.
Northwest Missouri State scored six runs in the fourth and added five runs in the sixth to pull away for a 13-6 win over the Wildcats in the first game of the day Sunday morning.
The Wildcats plated two runs in the second on an Abbie Hix RBI double down the right field line and a Ashley Hernandez run-scoring single, but the Bearcats came up with six runs in the bottom of the fourth on four hits and two Wildcat errors to take a 6-2 lead.
The Wildcats knotted the score at 6-6 in the top of the fifth with four runs. The big hit was a two-run homer by Hix, followed by an RBI single off the bat of Emily Chandler.
However, Northwest Missouri broke the tie in the bottom of the fifth with two runs for an 8-6 lead and added five insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth to close out the win.
Annie Grammer was a perfect 3-for-3 with a double. Hix finished 2-for-3 with a homer, double, three RBI and two runs scored. Chandler and Ashley Hernandez each had two hits in the contest.
All four Wildcat pitchers saw action in the circle. Starter Maddie Moser worked the first 3 1/3 innings. Reliever Allison Niemeier (0-1) suffered the loss in relief, charged with two hits and two runs in 2/3 innings. Alyx Hagen pitched 1 2/3 innings with Riley Vanderveen finishing the game with 1/3 inning.
In the final game of the day, Central Missouri scored an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth inning to edge Wayne State 4-3.
The Wildcats got on the board right away in the first inning as Katelyn Wobken had an infield single to shortstop followed by a two-run homer to left-center field by Hagen, giving Wayne State a 2-0 lead.
After the Jennies tied the score at 2-2 with a pair of runs in the third, Wayne State regained the lead in the fifth at 3-2 on a Jordyn Breitbarth solo homer.
Central Missouri evened the score at 3-3 with one run in the bottom of the sixth to force extra innings.
After Wayne State went down in order in the top of the eighth, Central Missouri had their runner placed at second base and the first batter reached on a Wildcat error on a sacrifice bunt allowing the winning run from second to score giving the Jennies the win.
Hagen had a two-run homer with Breitbarth adding a solo shot. Rachel Shumaker doubled with Wobken adding a single.
Vanderveen suffered the pitching loss, working four innings. She was charged with two runs on five hits with one strikeout. Moser worked three inning and allowed two runs on five hits with one walk and one strikeout.
Wayne State (6-13) is scheduled to play its home opener Wednesday with a 2 p.m. doubleheader against Nebraska-Kearney.
