Walnut Ridge, Ark. - On a historic afternoon for the No. 8 Central Methodist Softball program, the Eagles concluded their spring break with a doubleheader sweep of Williams Baptist University Wednesday in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas.
Central defeated WBU in game one, 5-2, followed by a 7-5 victory in game two.
1,000 Career Wins for Coach Pat Reardon:
The game one win was a milestone achievement for CMU Head Coach Pat Reardon, who recorded his 1,000th career win as Head Coach of the Eagles. He becomes just the fourth coach in NAIA Softball history to reach 1,000 career wins and is the fourth winningest coach in the history of NAIA Softball.
After Wednesday's games, Coach Reardon now owns a career record of 1,001-573-1, all while serving as Head Coach of the Eagles, a position he has held since 1993.
Game 1: No. 8 CMU 5 - Williams Baptist 2
Central found themselves trailing at the end of the first inning, as WBU took a 1-0 lead on an RBI-single.
CMU responded with three runs in the top of the second, including a two-RBI single from Daly Garland and an RBI double from Joely Crider. Central added an additional run in the third on a bases loaded walk from Garland.
WBU cut the Eagles' lead in half after scoring on a bases loaded ground out to plate one.
The final run of the game came via an RBI-single from Maddie Holly in the top of the sixth to score Kayla Richardson.
Haley Cotter earned her sixth win of the year after tossing a complete game and giving up just one earned run on three hits with two strikeouts.
Central got production all up and down its lineup, as eight different batters recorded hits, including five with multi-hit games.
Game 2: No. 8 CMU 7 - Williams Baptist 5
CMU again trailed at the end of the first inning in game two, as WBU scored one run on two hits to take a 1-0 lead. Central tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second, as CMU's Rachel Brandt hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Holly from third.
Williams Baptist regained the lead in the bottom half of the frame before Central's offense got going with four runs in the fourth. The fourth inning included a sacrifice fly from Makayla Albert to score Brandt, an RBI single from Elizabeth Palumbo to score Garland, and a bases loaded walk from Holly to score Crider.
Central finished the inning scoring four runs on four hits while capitalizing on two errors by WBU.
The Eagles maintained a 5-3 lead heading into the sixth, adding two more runs on an RBI triple from Kaysie Jolley and an RBI single from Lauren Hill.
Leading 7-3, CMU surrendered two runs in the final inning before Veronica Dearth retired the final batter to solidify Central's doubleheader sweep.
Cassidy Brent got the win in the circle, throwing 3.1 innings and allowing just two earned runs on four hits while picking up a strikeout. Dearth earned the save after tossing the final 3.2 innings and recording three strikeouts.
CMU remains on the road to face Missouri Baptist University, a future Heart member, for a doubleheader on Monday, March 17, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in St. Louis.
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