Softball Opens Season With a Pair of Defeats on the Road

Goodwell, Okla., (Feb. 22, 2025)- The Missouri Valley College softball team opened its 2025 season with a pair of non-conference games in Goodwell, Okla., Saturday afternoon. The Vikings fell in the opener against Kansas Wesleyan, 9-5, followed by a 6-2 defeat in game two with Oklahoma Panhandle State.

Game one started with Kansas Wesleyan going in front early, using four hits and two errors to score four runs in the top of the first inning. The Coyotes followed with more offense in the second inning, scoring one run on one hit to make it a 4-0 score. Kansas Wesleyan kept Missouri Valley scoreless in the first two innings of the game and continued to extend their lead in the top of the third scoring two more runs, holding a 7-0 advantage. The Vikings answered back with a long run in the bottom of the third cutting down their deficit to 7-5, as Junior Centerfielder Jesykah Foster (Garden City, Kan.) walked, stole second and then scored, followed by a single from Junior Rightfielder Ella Dillon (Sumner, Wash.). Junior Aniah Castruita walked, and with two runners on base Junior Shortstop Olivia Bettencourt (Murrieta, Calif.) brought them home with a double and then scored on a wild pitch. Senior Designated Player Brittney Slocum (Clovis, Calif.) singled and also scored on a wild pitch later in the inning. 

Freshman Morgan Clubb kept the Coyotes scoreless in the fourth and fifth inning, as she struck one batter and also grounded out another to keep the scoreboard close. Missouri Valley threatened in the bottom of the fifth as Castruita reached first on an error, and Bettencourt singled, but with two runners on-base the Vikings were unable to produce. Both teams were kept scoreless in the sixth inning. The top of the seventh inning started with Kansas Wesleyan extending their lead, using two hits and two runs to make it a 9-5 score. Missouri Valley was taken down in order in the bottom of the seventh and fell by a final score of 9-5.

Bettencourt led with two hits, two RBI's and one run. Dillon and Slocum followed with one hit and one scored run each, while Castruita and Foster each had one run. The loss went to Junior Pitcher Emily Greenfield (Sherwood, Park Alberta), who pitched 3.0 innings, giving up seven hits and seven earned runs and three strikeouts.

The pair of losses drop Missouri Valley to 0-2 overall. 

Up next, the Vikings softball team will play a non-conference doubleheader with Kansas Wesleyan in Goodwell, Okla., Sunday afternoon starting at 10 a.m.

Game 1 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.