Park University's softball team traveled to Wichita, Kan. on Friday and Saturday for a set of four games against Friends University (Kan.), York University (Neb.), Concordia University (Neb.), and Bethany University (Kan.). The Pirates were able to win game two each day for the split.  

Park is now .500 on the season and have exclusively played on the road through this point in the season. The Pirates won't be at the Park Softball Complex until Tuesday, March 12 for a doubleheader against William Woods University.

GAME 1 | Friends, 2-3 | Box Score

It was a pitching duel in game one against Friends, but the Falcons came out on top 3-2 with the go ahead run in the bottom of the fifth. Dakota Rau pitched well for Park with 4.2 innings pitched, no walks and only three earned runs. Abbie Farmer came in behind with 1.1 scoreless innings and did not allow a hit.

Park got on the board first with an RBI triple in the top of the third inning from Caroline Riffer, but a two-run home run flipped the lead in the bottom of the fourth, 2-1. Paige McPheeters tied the game with a home run to leftfield in the next half inning, but this was also answered by the Falcons in the following half inning for the 3-2 win.

GAME 2 | York, 16-7 | Box Score

A lot more offense for both sides was on display in game two against York. A three-run bottom of the first got the Pirates off to a good start. Halle Magee moved Riffer up 90 feet to score on a ground out to the shortstop, while Dani-Quinn Klein and Nia Muniz both got RBI singles to make it 3-0.

The Panthers took the 5-3 lead in the next half as five runs rolled in on four hits, including a grand slam.

Lauren Fiene only had 1.1 innings of work before turning it over to her Nia Muniz. Muniz was able to patch things up the rest of the way for 4.2 innings of work with only two earned runs coming in. She would eventually earn the win, as her offense came alive in the bottom of the of the fourth.

Down two, 6-4, the Pirates went to work starting with an RBI single from Ashton Arndt. Chloe Gilbert joined the hit parade with a two-RBI single to give the Pirates the go-ahead score. Five more runs would come across to score in the inning, including a two-RBI Muniz double to help her cause as pitcher and a two-RBI single by Brooke Conner to complete the inning, 12-6.

Gilbert would play a big role in the 16-7 spread of the Panthers with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth and the game-winning home run in the bottom of the sixth. She would close out the game three-for-four with five RBI's.

GAME 3 | Concordia, 0-7 | Box Score

The Bulldogs were a tough matchup in game three and they immediately got out to a solid start with runs in each of the first three innings, for a 5-0 lead after three innings played.
Fiene and Muniz again joined forces in the circle with five strikeouts between them, but also six walks and nine hits, as Concordia pressed on for the 7-0 win.

The Pirates were held down offensively with only two hits from McPheeters and Caidyn Bentz.

GAME 4 | Bethany, 16-8 | Box Score

The Pirates won in similar fashion in game four like they did in game two. This time the Swedes got out to a 1-0 lead, which was quickly answered by Park in the bottom half of the inning, 1-1.

The Swedes were a handful for Abbie Farmer and Dakota Rau in the first four innings, as Bethany went up 8-4 after the top of the fourth. Farmer started in the circle and only allowed three hits but also walked three, and only had two earned runs of the five to her credit. Rau finished things out for the win with two innings pitched and had the lone strikeout for the Pirates.

There was an eruption of offense for Park in the bottom of the fourth inning and left Bethany well-behind, 14-8. Magee started it with a triple to score Riffer and then Day send a two-run home run over the leftfield fence to gain the 8-7 lead. Altogther 10 runs scored in the inning on 10 hits and one error in the field. Four of Park's hits in the fourth inning alone were for extra-bases and Day left her mark in the inning with the home run and a double.

The Pirates tacked on two more runs to finish things in the bottom of the fifth, 16-8. Four Pirates had multi-hit games at the plate, while Day and Magee stood out with three-hit games. Day also led in RBI's with three followed by two RBI's from Shelby Sanders.

Park will look ahead to University of Saint Mary for a double-header in Leavenworth, Kan. on Saturday, March 9 at 1pm. WATCH