SOFTBALL SPLITS WITH NO. 14 EVANGEL

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In a battle of two of the top teams in the KCAC, Avila softball split a doubleheader with No. 14 Evangel on Wednesday afternoon, losing the opener 2-1 before winning the second game, 8-6.

In the first game against the Valor, the Eagles got a run in the first off an RBI double from McKayla Cotton. Evangel took the lead with runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 2-1 lead.

At the plate, Avila only had two baserunners after their run-scoring first inning and were never able to get the tying or winning run across the plate.

Cotton pitched well for the Eagles in the circle, striking out five in six innings, allowing just five hits and two runs.

The Eagle bats woke up in the second game – thanks to a big sixth inning.

Avila got off to another lead in the second inning of the second game, scoring two on a bases-loaded hit batter and a sacrifice fly from Abi Beaman.

Evangel put up a five-spot in the fourth inning, but Avila came back in the sixth.

With two on and one out, Beaman sent a single up the middle to score two – Elizabeth Harvey and Jordy Pollo – to cut into the lead, making it 5-4.

The next batter, Cotton, would bring Beaman home to score with an RBI double, tying the game at 5-5.

A third-straight run came from Madison Kelly, who scored Cotton on an infield RBI single. For the second time in the game, Avila had the lead, going up 6-5 over Evangel. Kelly's run-scoring base hit forced a Valor pitching change, keeping the inning going.

The biggest hit was saved for last in the inning as freshman Tehani Chinen belted a line-drive two-run home run to left field – the first homer of her career – to push the Eagles lead to 8-5.

After starting game one in the circle, McKayla Cotton threw 4.0 innings in relief in the second game.

Evangel made it interesting in the bottom of the seventh, getting one run across on the fourth batter of the inning, but Cotton was able to stop the bleeding and strand the bases loaded with the winning run on first base after a groundout to shortstop to end the game.

In two games today, Beaman had four RBI at the plate while Cotton threw 10 innings, allowing just three earned runs and striking out five. 

Avila (26-17, 15-7) has two regular season series remaining, with both at home. The Eagles will celebrate Senior Day on Saturday against Sterling before ending the regular season on Tuesday versus York.

 (photo credit: Ali Nassir)