April 1, 2009-The Emporia State softball team won a pair of pitchers duels against Rockhurst on Wednesday evening in Kansas City, Mo. ESU won the first game 2-1 and took the second 1-0 at Loyola Park on the Rockhurst campus.
In the matinee, Megan Dennis went the distance in the circle giving up one run on three hits while striking out seven and walking only two. The Hornets got on the board thanks to a bases loaded walk by Aubree Brattin and a RBI ground out by Jennifer Dace in the sixth inning. Rockhurst came back to score one run in the bottom of the inning before Dennis coaxed a ground out to short by Katie Robinson with the bases loaded to end the inning. Dennis then struck out two of the last three batters in the seventh to secure the win.
Jennifer Heerey threw her second straight complete game shutout and ran her personal scoreless innings streak to 18.0 with a two hitter in the nightcap. The freshman from Goddard (Kan.) HS struckout six, walked three and faced just two over the minimum thanks to two double plays and a caught stealing by Brattin. ESU pushed across the only run of the game in the third inning when Jenna Potter was hit by a pitch to open the frame, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and reached third on a ground out to second. She scored on Angela Mahan's single through the right side.
The Hornets who have won eight in a row and 12 of their last 14 games, will begin MIAA play on Friday at Neb.-Omaha. First pitch from Claussen-Westgate Field in Omaha is set for 2 p.m.

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