Errors were almost the undoing of Mountain State University Friday night at Warren Williams Stadium in Beckley. Midway (Ky.) College scored three runs on two Cougar errors but MSU held on for a 7-6 win in the first game of a doubleheader that was delayed two hours when the Eagles were caught behind a traffic accident en route to the game.

“We made some fundamental errors that we shouldn’t have made,” MSU coach Tim Berry said. “Otherwise, it would have been a 7-2 ball game. You get into a game like this and make a couple of mistakes — especially at this level of competition — and Midway College is the kind of team that will make you pay for those mistakes.”

Mountain State (23-14, 12-2 KIAC) built a 7-2 advantage before the Eagles came roaring back in the sixth inning. With one out, Midway (9-24, 7-6 KIAC) loaded the bases with three straight singles before Cougars’ hurler Sarah Rapp recovered to strike out the next batter on three straight pitches.

Fortune would play into the Eagles’ hands though as No. 9 hitter LaTashia Lewis slapped a hard grounder that MSU’s third baseman Anna Kincaid booted to keep the inning alive.

Jennifer Hibbard would make the Cougars pay with a base-clearing double off the top of the fence in left field. Rapp ended the Midway rally though, striking out the next batter looking.

“Almost,” Eagles coach Todd Short said. “We were less than 12 inches from tying it up on that drive by Hibbard. It was just a tough, tough loss.”

In all, Rapp would strike out 11 Midway hitters and walk only one to offset three errors in the field behind her.

The Cougars would get things started in the bottom of the first inning. After giving Midway two runs on two errors in the top of the first, MSU came out swinging.

“I think our girls were ready to hit,” Berry said. “We’ve been hitting consistently here lately. We’ve been scoring several runs. We shoot for one run an inning, seven runs a game. We’ve been able to do that pretty successfully in the last month and I see that continuing.”

Amber Lilly slapped a single over the second baseman and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jennifer Sloan moved Lilly to third with a bunt single. Lilly would race home to score when the Eagles’ pitcher, Emily Kordenbrock, picked Sloan off first base.

Kincaid and Kaylie Layman kept the inning going with a single and double, respectively. Kincaid scored as Alex Albright reached on an error and Layman scored the final run on a Sam Daniels single back up the middle.

“We gave the game away in the first inning when we allowed three unearned runs,” Short said. “We got in the hole and had to come back. I was proud of the team for showing some fight and coming back.”

In the third, the Cougars struck for three more runs. After Layman walked, Albright and Rapp hit back-to-back doubles for the first two runs. After Daniels sacrificed Rapp to third, Whitley Hayhurst doubled her home.

Kincaid would score the deciding run in the fourth inning. After singling to center, Kincaid ended up on third when the Eagles’ centerfielder misplayed the ball. She trotted home when Layman singled to right.

Albright led the Cougars at the plate, going 3-for-4. Lilly, Sloan, Kincaid and Layman had two hits apiece.

Mountain State hosts Midway College at 1 p.m. today in another doubleheader.

— E-mail:

rjett@register-herald.com



MSU 7, Midway College 6

MC: 200 004 0 — 6 9 3

MSU: 303 100 x — 7 14 3

MC: Emily Kordenbrock, LaTashia Lewis (3), Kordenbrand (6) and Haley Eagle, MSU: Sarah Rapp and Jennifer Sloan. WP — Rapp. LP — Kordenbrock. Hitting — MC: Jennifer Hibbard 2-4 (2b, 3rbi), Amanda Edgington 2-4 (run), Shari Walls (run), Whitney Atcher (run), Eagle (run), Stephens (run), Lewis (run), MSU: Alex Albright 3-4 (2b, rbi, run), Amber Lilly 2-4 (run), Sloan 2-4, Anna Kincaid 2-4 (2 runs), Kaylie Layman 2-3 (2b, rbi, 2 runs), Rapp (2b, 2rbi, run), Sam Daniels 1-2 (rbi), Whitley Hayhurst (2b, rbi).

Records: MC: 9-24 (7-6 KIAC); MSU: 23-14 (12-2 KIAC).