St. CATHARINE, Ky. – The tough weekend on the road continued for Shawnee State softball on Sunday as the Bears dropped both ends of a doubleheader to a team it had swept earlier in the season. Today, it was a pair of one-run defeats for the Bears (19-16, 11-13 MSC) as they fell by 4-3 and 6-5 scores against St. Catharine (14-21, 10-16 MSC).
In the first game, the Patriots scored in the first, third, fourth and fifth innings and led by as many as three runs. Shawnee State would get an RBI from Tara Duncan (FR/Lancaster, Ohio) in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit down to 3-1. However, the Patriots answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth to push their lead back to 4-1.
In their final at-bats, the Bears got a two-run home run from Abbey Barrett (SR/Franklin Furnace, Ohio) to make the score 4-3. Barrett's team-leading seventh home run of the year was also her 13th home run of her career. Her previous career-high for home runs came was three during both the 2011 and 2013 seasons. However, those runs would also prove to be the Bears' last runs of the game as they fell by that same 4-3 final.
Krystal Cammuse picked up the win in the circle for the Patriots as she allowed just three hits and the three earned runs over her six-plus innings of work. After the home run by Barrett, St. Catharine called on Brittany McKee to come on and record the final three outs. Allie Chapman (JR/Chesapeake, Ohio) took the loss for the Bears as she pitched six innings and allowed seven hits and four earned runs. She also struck out five, while walking four.
The second game saw the Bears jump out to a 5-0 lead after the five innings of play. In those first five innings, the Bears scored three times in the second and added another run to their lead in both the fourth and fifth innings. Kirsti Yates (SR/Chillicothe, Ohio), Holly Brabson (SR/Piketon, Ohio), Hannah Foster (SO/Portsmouth, Ohio) and Duncan each had RBIs during that time. Foster also recorded a home run during that span as she blasted her first career home run in that game.
However, things would fall apart late as the Patriots tied the game in the bottom of the fifth with five runs. After a scoreless sixth inning, Patriots walked off with a win as they pushed their final run across with one during the bottom of the seventh.
Tiffany Wickline picked up the win as she pitched the final 2.2 innings in relief of McKee. She allowed just one hit during that time, while striking out three. Tara Prater (SR/Hilliard, Ohio) made her fourth start of the season in game two and went 6.1 innings. She received the losing decision in her complete game effort.
Softball now has four straight doubleheaders at Boone Coleman Field. The first of those doubleheaders will be this Tuesday against the University of the Cumberlands in a 3 p.m. start.
