Story by Central Methodist athletics

FAYETTE, Mo. - No. 10 Central Methodist (Mo.) swept a doubleheader against Evangel (Mo.) by scores of 9-1 (6) and 8-5 on Saturday afternoon (April 4) at Cox Softball Complex. The Eagles have now won 14-straight games overall and 18-straight in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.

Central Methodist (25-6, 6-0) coach Pat Reardon now has 627 all-time wins and passed Evangel's Jerry Breaux after the first win. Reardon has entered the Top 10 for wins by an active NAIA coach and needs four wins to pass William Woods' (Mo.) Tracy Gastineau (630) for ninth following two Owls' losses at Park (Mo.) on Friday.

Reardon's squad took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one when Michele Rupard and Hannah Blackmon scored on a Kiara Carrier throwing error. Each player reached base on Crusader fielding errors, as the visitors totaled three in the opening frame.

A Caitlin Buckalew RBI single to center in the top of the third cut the Evangel (9-10, 2-4) deficit to one, but Central Methodist blew the game open when Blackmon and Lauren Geringer each belted two-run bombs to center in the home half of the third and fifth innings, respectively, to increase its advantage to 6-1.

Nicole Beck scored on a Kylee Foster sacrifice fly in the sixth to make the score 7-1. Rupard followed with a two-run double to center, ending the affair early.

Rupard had three of the Eagles' nine hits. Blackmon, Rupard and Geringer each drove in two runs. Jessie Wilmes, Blackmon and Rupard each scored twice.

Haley Kinnison (12-3) went the distance in the circle for the 11th time this season, earning a win after giving up only one earned run on four hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Four different Crusaders each had one hit.

Pitcher Michaela Tolliver (5-4) suffered the loss, allowing six runs, four earned, on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk in five innings.

Three of the first four Central Methodist runs in game two came off the bat of Lindie Adair. With the Eagles already leading 1-0, Adair delivered a solo shot to left in the second before going yard, a two-run homer, in the fourth to make the score 4-0.

Geringer and Bri Boatwright RBI groundouts in the fifth increased the difference to six. Katie Tollefson and Rebel Robinson RBI singles in the top of the sixth got the Crusaders on the board, but the Eagles countered with two in the bottom of the frame when Beck scored on a Wilmes bases-loaded walk and Alyson Fuemmeler crossed home on a fielder's choice.

Buckalew drove in one run in the seventh before she and Cassidy Gillihan were waved home with two outs when the Eagles' committed their third error of the contest, but Erin Enke struck out Robinson to give the Green and Black their 13th-straight win over the Crusaders.

Adair and Rupard each had two hits. Adair drove in three and scored twice. Boatwright drove in two runs. Wilmes, the reigning league Player of the Week, and Geringer each drew two of the squad's seven walks.

Reigning conference Pitcher of the Week Jocie Glaze (9-0) earned the win, allowing five runs, three earned, on nine hits with five strikeouts in six innings. Enke (1) was credited with a save with one inning of one-hit, scoreless relief and two strikeouts.

Julie Blevins (3-4) was hit with the loss in the circle, surrendering six earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks in five innings.

Gillihan, Buckalew and Tollefson each had two hits in the loss.