Softball Falls to Friends in Road Doubleheader

Wichita, Kan., (March 3, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College softball team traveled to Wichita, Kan., for a Sunday afternoon non-conference doubleheader with Friends (Kan.).  The Vikings fell in both games of the doubleheader.

Senior Pitcher Cherrelee Miles (Centurion, South Africa) came and worked through the Friends lineup early in the contest, striking out one and facing the minimum in the first inning, then taking down the second inning batters in order with one strikeout.  Miles followed in the third inning with another strikeout that keet Friends from producing a baserunner.  Missouri Valley created the first hit of the contest in the top of the fifth inning, from Junior Third Baseman Brianna Vela (Kingsburg, Calif.), but she was left stranded.  Friends followed in the bottom half with a solo homer to go on top, but Miles worked back to induce outs by the next three batters to keep it a 1-0 score.  The Vikings were taken down in order in the top of the sixth, while Friends responded with a long rally in the bottom half.  In all, five hits, four walks and one error allowed Friends to bring home seven runs and hand Missouri Valley an 8-0 defeat.

Vela had the one hit, while Miles pitched into the sixth inning, giving up five hits and four earned runs with three strikeouts.

Game two started with Friends grabbing an early lead, scoring one run in the top of the first inning.  After Missouri Valley was taken down in order in the second inning, Friends added to their advantage with two runs in the bottom half to make it a 3-0 score.  The advantage increased in the bottom of the third, using three hits and one error to bring home two runners.  The bases were loaded late in the inning, but Freshman Pitcher Chloe Shuff (Cypress, Calif.) came in during the inning and struck out the final batter to leave the three runners stranded.  Sophomore First Baseman Olivia Bettencourt (Murrieta, Calif.) started the fourth inning with a single, but was left on-base.  Friends tacked on another run in the bottom of the inning, then added one more run in the fifth to finish out an 8-0 victory for the Vikings.

Bettencourt totaled two hits, while Junior Centerfielder Caitlyn Vela (Kingsburg, Calif.) had one hit.

The pair of losses drops Missouri Valley to 3-11 on the season, while Friends improves to 12-6.

Next up, the Viking softball team plays games in Columbia, Mo., March 15.  The first contest is against Morningside (Iowa) at 12 p.m., followed by a 4 p.m., game with Briar Cliff (Iowa).

Game 1 Box Score-Click Here

Game 2 Box Score-Click Here 

ABOUT MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.