Softball Finishes Off Sweep of Mission

Branson, Mo., (March 13, 2025)-The Missouri Valley College softball team finished play in Branson, Mo., with a Wednesday afternoon non-conference doubleheader against Mission (Mo.).  The Vikings pulled off the doubleheader sweep, with a 13-2 win, and a one-hit, 8-0 victory.

Missouri Valley took control of the first game with a long rally in the top of the second inning.  Freshman First Baseman Addison Bartlett (Lawson, Mo.) led off with a walk, and both Senior Designated Player Brittney Slocum (Clovis, Calif.) and Junior Catcher Makayla Casjens (Galt, Calif.) singled to load the bases.  Junior Rightfielder Taya Brickner (Fort Collins, Colo.) brought two runners home with a single to put MVC in front.  Later in the inning, Senior Leftfielder Audrey Short (St. Joseph, Ill.) doubled to bring home Brickner and Casjens, while Foster scored on a wild pitch.  The final run came home on a bases-loaded walk earned by Bartlett as the score sat at 6-0.  Sophomore Pitcher Chloe Shuff (Cypress, Calif.) worked around a two-out single to keep Mission scoreless in the bottom of the inning.  Mission cut into its deficit in the bottom of the fourth, bringing home one run.  Shuff got out of the inning with a double-play, hit to second base to keep it a 6-1 score.  

The Vikings got that run back in the top of the fifth, as a Brickner single allowed Slocum to reach home safely, but Mission answered with one run in the bottom half of the inning to put the MVC lead at 7-2.  Missouri Valley put the game out of reach in the top of the sixth.  The first three batters of the inning reached safely, as Junior Third Baseman Kyleigh Villarreal (Fenton, Mo.) and Short both walked, and Freshman Second Baseman Allison Loucas (Twin Lakes, Wisc.) loaded the bases with a single.  Junior Shortstop Aniah Castruita (South El Monte, Calif.) singled to bring home two runs, and after Bartlett walked to load the bases again, Slocum singled to score two more runs.  Casjens added an RBI single, scoring Bartlett, and a fielder's choice grounder from Brickner allowed Slocum to score and cap the rally.  Shuff took down Mission in order in the bottom of the sixth, and the Vikings earned a 13-2 win.

Casjens had four hits, one run and one RBI, while Slocum totaled three hits, three runs scored and two RBIs.  Brickner had two hits, one run and four RBIs, while Short added one hit, two runs and two RBIs.  Castruita had one hit, one run and two RBI's.  Shuff pitched the complete game, giving up six hits with no earned runs and two strikeouts.

Game two of the doubleheader started with Villarreal taking down Mission in order in the top of the first inning, striking out one batter.  The bottom half of the inning featured two-out run production for Missouri Valley, as Sophomore Catcher Quinlynn Keller (Galt, Mo.) knocked out a three-run homer to put the team on top, 3-0.  Villarreal worked around a walk in the top of the second inning, then struck out one batter to help take down Mission in order in the top of the third.  The Vikings put together a long at-bat in the bottom of the third, as Short started things off with a single.  Castruita eventually brought Short home with an infield single, and Keller drove home Castruita with a single to centerfield.  Freshman Third Baseman Jordan Pasbrig (Moberly, Mo.) came through with a single to bring home Keller, and another single, this time from Junior Centerfielder Jesykah Foster (Garden City, Kan.), scored Brickner to give the team a 7-0 advantage.  The lone hit of the game for Mission came in the top of the fifth, but Villarreal came back to strike out the final two batters, and strand two runners on-base.  Needing one more run to end the game, Keller opened the bottom of the fifth with a solo homer, and Missouri Valley secured an 8-0 victory.

Keller had three hits, three runs and five RBIs.  Castruita added one hit and two runs scored, while both Short and Bartlett totaled one hit and one run each.  Pasbrig and Foster had one hit and one RBI apiece.  Villarreal pitched a complete game, giving up only one hit, while striking out five.  

The pair of wins move Missouri Valley to 6-12 on the season, while Mission falls to 0-14.

Up next, the Viking softball team will travel to Leavenworth, Kan., for a non-conference doubleheader against St. Mary (Kan.), Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.

Game 1 Box Score-Click Here

Game 2 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.