The North Platte Community College Knights split a double header with the Trinidad State Junior College Lady Trojans Friday afternoon at Wayne Dowhower Memorial Softball Complex.. The Knights won the first game 12 – 11 in extra innings, but lost the night cap 10 – 2 in five innings.
In the first game the Lady Trojans jumped out to a 2 – 0 lead in the top of the first on a single by Macie Christian. Two hitters later, Brooke Stevens lined one over the right field fence.
The Lady Trojans added four more runs in the top of the second and one in the top of the third to increase their lead to 7 – 0.
In the bottom of the third the Knights’ Brittney Odum reached on a bloop infield hit. Jessica Jarvis doubled to drive in Odum. With the bases loaded Sara Runia singled between short and third to bring in Jarvis.
Shannon Lieber knocked in Sara Villalobos and Mehana Chang on a two-run single. Runia scored on an infield single by Caroline Motis to cut the Lady Trojan lead to two, 7 – 5.
In the top of the fourth, after a single by Courtney Vigil and a walk to Stevens, Shelby Cornett hit a three-run home run over the left field fence to increase the Lady Trojan lead 10 – 5.
The Knights added a run to make the score 10 – 6 when Villalobos scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrea Quiroga.
The score remained that way until the bottom of the sixth. Chang and Runia opened up the inning by hitting back-to-back home runs. Quiroga and Lieber walked. They scored on a single up the middle by Tara Crouch to tie the score at 10. That was the score at the end of regulation.
In the eighth inning the Lady Trojans had Brooke Stevens on second because of the international tie breaker rule. Samantha Glover had a bunt single to advance Stevens to third. Stevens scored on a sacrifice fly by Cornett to make the score 11 – 10.
In the Knights half of the eighth Christina Rodie started at second, she was sacrificed to third by Motis. Crouch hit the ball to Christian, the Lady Trojan shortsop, who threw to home to get Rodie into a rundown. The ball hit Rodie in the helmet and caromed into left field which allowed Rodie to score. Crouch advanced to third on the play. Crouch scored the winning run on a single by Jarvis.
The win for the Knights broke a six-game losing streak for the Knights. It also broke a 12 game winning streak for the Lady Trojans.
In the second game, the Lady Trojans jumped out to a 5 – 0 lead in the top of the first. They added single runs in each of the second, third and fourth inning to take an 8 – 0 lead.
The Knights were able to push across two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Runia reached first on an error. Lieber singled to advance Runia at first. Rodie pinch run for Lieber. Shelby Clark singled to load the bases. Motis singled to score Runia and Rodie and ended up on third on the throw to the plate that put Clark out at the plate.
That was all the Knights could muster against Ally Grywusiewicz, the Lady Trojan pitcher.
The Lady Trojans scored two runs in the fifth to win in five innings. Lauren Bending singled to left. Vicki Gonzalez doubled to advance Bending to third. Vigil singled to score Bending and Gonzalez to allow the Lady Trojans to eight run the Knights.
The Knights move to 11 – 19 on the season. The Lady Trojans are now 19– 9.
The Knights are back in action on Tuesday, March 31 when they host the Hastings College Junior Varsity.
The games can be heard on ESPN Radio 1410 or on the Internet at www.northplattepost.com. It will be live streamed at www.coachesaid.com .
Game times are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m CDT.