BENTONVILLE, Ark. - The Missouri Western softball team closed out the Alvy Early Memorial Classic Sunday in Bentonville, Arkansas as they lost two close games. The Griffons fell to Quincy in their first game Sunday 5-4 and then lost to Arkansas-Monticello 3-0. MWSU falls to 1-3 on the season.GAME 1 Quincy 5, MWSU 4The Griffons scored two in the bottom of the seventh and had the tying run at second and winning run at first when the game ended.Down 5-2 to start the final half-inning, Markee Brown got on with a leadoff pinch-run single. With one out, Brea Blanton reached on an error that got Brown to second. Both scored on Emma Hoffart's two-out single to center. Rachel Stewart then singled to put the tying run in scoring position, but Quincy ended it by coaxing Kelly Uthe into a ground ball to second for the final out of the game.Hoffart went 2 for 3 in the game with the two RBIs. Stewart was 2 for 4 at the plate. Blanton, Hoffart and Stewart all doubled in the game. Uthe, Lauren Houston and Chloe Armstrong also had hits in the game. Olivia Goodale took the loss in relief of Kaili Hinds. Goodale gave up two runs, both earned on four hits over three innings. Hinds pitched the first four innings, allowing three earned runs on two hits.GAME 2 Arkansas-Monticello 3, MWSU 0A three-run fourth inning pushed the Cottom Blossoms past the Griffons in game two. Both teams had four hits, but MWSU couldn't get a run in.Neither team produced a base hit until Sydni Hawkins' bunt-single in the top of the third. The Griffons put the first four on in the inning, but an out on the base paths prevented MWSU from scoring a run. Getting the start in game two, Goodale hadn't allowed a hit until a one-out double in the bottom of the fourth. With two-out, Goodale surrendered back-to-back walks, the second pushing across the first run of the game. A two-out, two-RBI single put UAM up 3-0 after four innings.Missouri Western never got more than one base runner on in the rest of the game. Taylor Hoelscher doubled in the sixth and got to third on a wild pitch, but was thrown out trying to score on a fly out by Lauren Houston. Blanton, Hawkins, Hoffart and Hoelscher each had a hit in the game. Goodale took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits over six innings.UP NEXTMissouri Western will play six games at the Emporia State Classic beginning this Friday.--- MWSU Athletics ---

Missouri Western softball drops final two games in Arkansas