Lady 'Neers pour 33 runs on Hornets

April 7, 2021

by Dustin Semore, Sports Information Director

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - A day after Pioneer baseball dropped 30 runs in a doubleheader, Crowley's Ridge softball defeated Harris-Stowe State (Mo.) University with a 14-1 win followed by a 19-0 shellacking.

GAME ONE

Crowley's Ridge - 14

Harris-Stowe State - 1

Kaitlyn Stebelton (SR/Crosby, Texas) led off the day for the Lady Pioneers (10-14) with a single before scoring on Bre'Anna Warren (SR/Forrest City, Ark.)'s double. Warren would score the second run of the inning on the first of four defensive miscues by the Hornet defense.

Harris-Stowe State (0-10) picked up a run in the bottom of the first inning with Zaria Palmer's two-out RBI double. The lone run proved to be the only one of the day for the hosting Hornets.

After quickly grounding out twice, April Kennedy (JR/Marmaduke, Ark.) sparked a rally in the top of the second that ended up scoring three runs off of four hits. Kennedy would strike again in the top of the fourth inning with a leadoff single, eventually scoring before Stebelton finished her at-bat due to a stolen base, wild pitch, and passed ball. Crowley's Ridge held a 7-1 lead moving into the fifth inning.

The Lady Pioneers put an exclamation point on the first game by plating seven runs on five hits. The biggest hit coming in the form of Stebelton hitting a grand slam in the most exhausting way: with her first career homer being an inside-the-park home run.

Kennedy went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate while Stebelton ended game one with a 3-for-4 day at the plate, driving in five runs. Warren tallied two RBI off of two hits.

The Lady Pioneers swiped eight stolen bases.

Sammi Henry (SR/Marmaduke, Ark.) earned the victory, giving up one run and two hits, backed up by Hannah Powell (SR/Piggott, Ark.) and Emily Breckenridge (SR/McCrory, Ark.) tossing three hitless innings by striking out six.

GAME TWO

Crowley's Ridge - 19

Harris-Stowe State - 0

The Lady Pioneers (11-14) continued a solid mid-week series with the one-two punch of an 11-run fourth inning and Adrienne Stucker (SO/Poplar Bluff, Mo.)'s dominance in the circle.

Stucker threw a two-hit complete-game shutout while striking out nearly half of the Hornet (0-11) batters she faced - fanning eight of 17.

K.J. Jackson (SR/Barton, Ark.) led off the second inning with a double to left field, later scoring on Hannah Powell's groundout to take a 1-0 lead.

CRC added five runs in the top of the third inning off of four hits before totaling 11 runs in the top of the fourth. The onslaught began with a leadoff triple from Bre'Anna Warren, scoring on the next pitch thanks to Eden Hernandez (SR/McAllen, Texas)'s sacrifice fly. The Lady 'Neers pounded out seven hits in the inning and were helped by five HSSU errors in the inning.

With underclassmen getting valuable plate appearances in the top of the fifth inning, CRC tacked on two more runs in the final inning before run-ruling the Hornets for a second time with a 19-0 win.

Six different players had two-hit games, with Jackson, Powell, Warren, Lacey Lambright (JR/Harrisburg, Ark.), and Kaitlyn Stebelton collecting a pair of hits each. Powell helped led the Lady 'Neer offense with four runs driven in, while Warren scored four the CRC runs.

As a team, Crowley's Ridge stole a school-record 13 bases.

UP NEXT

The Lady Pioneers return to Paragould for back-to-back doubleheaders starting against Williams Baptist (Ark.) on Monday, April 12. Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.) University will visit on Tuesday, April 13. Both days' double-dips begin at 12 p.m.