‘We plan on leaving it all on the field’
Junior Michala Wood hustles down the first base line following a single she hit to center field in the Pride4Pink game against Central Missouri, on April 21, 2015. Wood, on the day, went 2-4 at the plate, with one RBI and a walk. The Lions were swept by the conference leading Jennies. Final scores, 6-4 and 11-0 in five innings.
Missouri Southern’s softball team was slated for four match-ups this week but the games were ultimately rescheduled due to weather.
A two-game weekend series against Lincoln (Mo.), originally set for April 18, was rescheduled for April 27 at 2 p.m. The two-game series will be played in Jefferson City, Mo.
The Lions last played on April 11 against Northwest Missouri State on Military Appreciation Day at Lea Kungle Field. On the day, the Lions suffered a 5-0 shutout, and only scored a total of two runs.
The Lions (11-31, 4-14 MIAA) currently sit in 13th place in the conference with six games remaining on the season. The Lions are a long shot to make the MIAA conference tournament; they are on the outside looking in.
“We plan on leaving it all on the field these next few games and come out with some wins,” said Sarah Williams.
The Lions’ last win came on April 7 against Drury as the Lions got their first sweep of the season. Since then, the Lions have lost four straight games, being outscored 20-6 and shut out twice.
In the 11 victories for the Lions this season, they’ve outscored their opponents by 23 runs and scored five or more runs six times. The Lions also have had six comeback victories in those 11 victories. Out of the 11 victories, the Lions got seven or more hits eight different times. The Lions average five runs a victory.
In the first 21 games of the season, the Lions were 5-16 with a losing streak of 14 games. That’s the longest losing streak for the Lions since the 2008 season (13 games). In the next 21 games, the Lions had a record of 6-15, recording their first sweep and shut-out of the season over Drury.
“We’re doing a good job playing together,” said Kathryn Goins-Osburn. “We know we’re better than our record shows.”
“We’re getting quality at bats, solid defense, and mentally we have gotten better at controlling what we can control and never giving up in any situation,” said Williams.
Lions pitching has been an area of misfortune this season. The Lions pitching staff has an ERA of 3.97, which ranks in the bottom half of the conference. The 3.97 ERA is a misleading stat because, Williams says, “pitching has kept us in several games.”
“These kids deserve to win,” said head coach Bill Gray.
Maybe the most consistent area of the Lions game is fielding. The Lions rank sixth in the conference in fielding, at .955 percent. The Lions are tied for second in the conference in double plays turned, with 18.
The Lions will be back in action today against Central Oklahoma at Lea Kungle Field. First pitch is set for 4 and 6 p.m.
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