MSSU softball splits doubleheader, Vargas breaks another record

Mar. 14—The Missouri Southern State University softball team split a twin bill with Augustana University on Thursday during the opening doubleheader of the three-day MIAA/Northern Sun crossover tournament at Pat Lipira Field.

Senior Yazmin Vargas, who broke the school career stolen bases record last Saturday, added another school record for career runs scored held by former teammate and now MSSU assistant coach Josie Tofpi (147) after scoring in the bottom of the third inning of Game 2 for her 148th career run.

MSSU (20-8) captured Game 1 in a 3-2 comeback win, but fell 12-8 in the nightcap in a game interrupted with weather delays.

Game 1

In Game 1 of the twin bill, Augustana (South Dakota) got on the board first in the top of the second inning with a two-out RBI double from Andrea Cain that plated Nicole Bellis. Desi Cuevas made it a 2-0 game with a single to left field that brought Cain across the plate.

The Lions inched closer at 2-1 in the bottom of the third when Yazmin Vargas reached home on a Viking error after walking and advancing to second and third on wild pitches. That run tied the career mark of 147.

Taylor Nuckolls gave Southern its first lead with an inside-the-park homer that plated Kylee Jacks and put the Lions up 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth stanza. Both teams were scoreless in the final two innings as the Lions held on for the 3-2 win.

Katie Gray and Kate Thurman both went 2-for-3 in the game; Vargas added to her career steals record with her 110th career steal.

Lily Rand (2-2) came in as relief to garner the win after giving up no runs on two hits, a walk and fanning two in 2 1/3 innings of work.

Cain led the Vikings, going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Lexi Lander was saddled the loss after giving up two runs on four hits in two innings.

Game 2

Southern took an early 1-0 lead in Game 2, when Kara Amos drove home Nuckolls with a single up the middle, but Augustana responded in the top of the second inning with three runs of its own with two RBIs from an Ashton Dorman double and an RBI from Liz Dierks that plated Dorman.

Kennedy Buckman drove home Cuevas with a double in the top of the third and Torri Chute scored Buckman with a single to give the Vikings a 5-1 lead before Dorman singled to score Chute and make it a 6-1 Augustana lead.

The Lions put one across in the bottom of the third, when Vargas scored with her record-breaking run on a Nuckolls single to right field and made it 6-2.

Augustana (13-7) exploded for four more runs in the top of the fourth and added two more in the top of the fifth to extend its lead to 12-2.

The Lions avoided a run-rule scenario with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to pull within six at 12-6 with two innings remaining.

After a lightning delay, Vargas singled in the bottom of the sixth and logged her 111th career stolen base, but the Lions could not get her across the plate and went into the final frame still down 12-6 and in a race to score runs with weather looming.

The Lions drew within five runs at 12-7 when Gray singled and drove in Peyton Hawkins, but play was halted for the second time in the game with no outs in the final inning and runners on first and second.

When play resumed again, Southern further tightened the game at 12-8 when Adrianna Young hit a one-out single to plate Gray, but that is all the Lions could muster as they fell 12-8.

Vargas was 3 for 5 for the Lions, including her third triple of the season, with two runs and two stolen bases. Nuckolls finished 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI.

Rand was tagged with the loss after giving up one earned run and a walk in a one-inning start.

Cuevas was 3 for 4 with an RBI and two runs and Dorman finished 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run.

The Lions resume play in the MIAA/NSIC Crossover at 2 p.m. Friday against St. Cloud State (Minnesota) and a 4 p.m. matchup with No. 22 Concordia-St. Paul (Minnesota).