The Wayne State softball team kicked off the 2020 season at the Arkansas Monticello Tournament in Bentonville, Ark., going 1-3 on the weekend.
On Saturday, Wayne State opened with a 3-2 loss to Henderson State (Ark.) before coming back with a 4-1 win over Southern Baptist.
In the first game, the Wildcats scored one run in the opening inning as sophomore Kortney Buresh singled to left and scored on a Kamryn Sparks single to center field.
Henderson State responded with single runs in the bottom of the first and third innings and took a 2-1 lead, but Wayne State tied it up in the fifth on a Kim Vidlak doubl, scoring Buresh to tie the game at 2-2.
The Reddies produced the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning and closed the Wildcats down from there to pick up the win.
Buresh ended 3-for-4 with a trio of singles and scored both Wildcat runs while Vidlak was 2-for-3 with a double and single. Ashley Hernandez added a double while Sparks singled. Freshman starting pitcher Sloan Cooksey fired a complete-game effort in the loss, allowing just five hits and three runs with six strikeouts and three walks.
Freshman pitcher Hadley Chvatal fired a complete-game five-hitter in her collegiate debut while four Wildcats recorded two hits each in their win over Southwest Baptist.
Wayne State scored in the opening inning to take a 1-0 lead as Buresh singled and later scored on a Southwest Baptist error.
The Wildcats made it 3-0 in the third with a pair of runs, both unearned, that were aided by another SBU error. Kamryn Sparks reached on an error and later scored on a Paiton Tornberg RBI single while Clare Reinhart crossed home on a Michaela Smith single.
Southwest Baptist got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth with a solo homer, but WSC got the run back in the bottom of the fifth on Tornberg’s RBI double that scored Sparks, who reached earlier on a double.
Wayne State had 10 hits in the game to just five for Southwest Baptist. Tornberg was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead the effort. Buresh and Vidlak each went 2-for-4 with Buresh scoring one run and Smith ended 2-for-3 with an RBI. Sparks doubled and Reinhart singled. Chvatal fired a complete-game win for the Wildcats, working all seven innings and allowing just one run on five hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.
On Sunday, Wayne State dropped a 5-0 decision to Washburn and ended the tournament with a 5-1 loss to Harding to end the weekend 1-3.
In the loss to Washburn, the Wildcats had at least one runner reach base every inning, leaving nine runners left on base, but could not get the extra hit to bring runs home.
Washburn scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning off three hits and one walk for a 3-0 lead and added two more in the fifth to come away with the shutout win.
Buresh and Vidlak each went 2-for-4 with a double and single. Ashley Hernandez doubled while Michaela Smith added a single. Cooksey suffered the pitching loss, allowing five runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings with four walks and four strikeouts. Maddie Moser worked the final 1 2/3 innings and did not allow a hit with one walk and one strikeout.
In the finale, Wayne State was tied in the bottom of the seventh when Harding used a walk-off grand slam homer with one out in the bottom of the seventh to claim the win.
Wayne State scored the first run of the game in the top of the first as Buresh singled to shortstop and scored on an RBI single to right field from Hernandez.
The Wildcats looked to score more runs in the fifth inning as Buresh, Vidlak and Sparks singled to load the bases with no outs, but Harding got out of the jam with no damage.
In the bottom of the seventh, Harding recorded four hits with the big one coming on a grand slam to end the game as the Lady Bisons scored five runs in the seventh.
Vidlak went 3-for-4 with three singles while Buresh was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and one run scored. Smith doubled while Hernandez and Sparks each singled. Chvatal was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings of work with six strikeouts and three walks.
Wayne State will play a doubleheader Monday at Southwest Baptist in Bolivar, Mo., starting at 11 a.m.
