SOFTBALL WINS FIFTH-STRAIGHT, SPLITS WITH KCAC’S TOP TEAM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A matchup with the KCAC's leader and one of the conference's top pitchers awaited Avila in the final Tuesday of the regular season as the Eagles split with Friends, winning 3-1 and losing 4-3.

Game one was a matchup between two of the conference's best pitchers as McKayla Cotton was in the circle for the Eagles and Riley Wertz took the ball for the Falcons.

The pitching dual was all it was expected to be as each team only amassed four hits in the doubleheader opener.

Avila got on the scoreboard first via a Julia Douglass RBI single to score Laila Rueda and give Avila an early 1-0 lead.

A Stephanie Hayes sac fly in the third inning to score Ka'Zem Wood grew Avila's lead to 2-0 before Friends put together back-to-back extra base hits in the fourth to get their lone run of the game.

Entering the bottom of the sixth with a one-run lead, Cotton came through at the plate as she also looked to wrap up her dominant pitching performance.

With two outs and Emily Collins on third base, Cotton laced an RBI single to right field to give the Eagles a two-run cushion.

Cotton induced a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to earn the victory and give Avila a 3-1 win.

In addition to Cotton's heroics in the circle, Avila was led to victory by stellar defense from their corner outfielders with Rueda and Abi Beaman both making several diving catches to keep Friends' bats at bay.

Game two was much like the opener: baserunners were at a premium and pitching was the key.

Each team notched just one hit in the first two innings until the Eagles began the scoring once again.

With two runners on base, Collins came around to score on a fielder's choice by Beaman and Avila's 1-0 lead would hold until a big fifth inning from Friends.

Three-straight Falcons singles gave Friends a quick two runs. Avila's Mackenzie Daniels notched an out before Friends would load the bases to set the table for another two-run single by the Falcons. After five innings, Friends held a 4-1 lead.

Avila's stellar reliever, Aarilynn Richardson, would come on with one out in the fourth inning and toss 2.2 no-hit innings to keep Friends off the scoreboard for the remainder of the day,

Avila fought back in the sixth inning. With two outs, they scored a run on a wild pitch and followed that up with an RBI single from Madison Kelly, bringing the Eagles to within one heading into the seventh.

With one out, Ka'Zem Wood opened the base paths with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Beaman would strike out to set the table for Stephanie Hayes with two outs.

Hayes, entering the at-bat hitless on the day smoked a ball to the deepest part of The Z. What looked to be a walk-off home run found the glove of Friends' centerfielder for the final out to seal the 4-3 Falcons victory as the two teams split the doubleheader. 

Avila has two more KCAC games this season as they enter another scheduling oddity. The Eagles will act as the road team at The Z on Wednesday, hosting Bethany for a Swedes' home game beginning at 2 PM at Avila University.

 (photo credit: Ali Nassir)