April 3, 2009-The Emporia State softball team earned a split with #22 Nebraska-Omaha on Friday, falling 8-6 in the opener and coming back with a 4-2 win in the nightcap.

Miranda Campbell gave the Hornets a 2-0 lead in the first inning of the matinee with her fourth home run of the season. The lead would reach 4-0 in the top of the third thanks to a Maverick error on Jennifer Dace’s single to right and Aubree Brattin’s sacrifice fly. Katlyn Hinton’s two run homer in the bottom of the third cut the lead in half and UNO used a four run fourth inning to take a 6-4 lead. The Hornets scored unearned runs in the top of the fifth and sixth, but the Mavericks answered with single runs in the bottom of each inning to secure the win.

Campbell scored three runs with two RBI for ESU, reaching base all four times she batted on a home run, intentional walk and two errors. Angela Mahan was two for four with two runs scored and Brattin was one for three with two RBI. Megan Dennis took the loss, giving up six runs in 3.2 innings. Jennifer Heerey came on in relief and stretched her string of scoreless innings to 19.0 before UNO pushed across a run with two outs in the fifth.

It was the Hornets turn to come from behind in the night cap as the Mavericks took a 1-0 lead on an RBI double by Kristin Wellwood. Abby Hughes tied the game for ESU with her fifth home run of the season, a solo shot in the third inning. ESU took the lead on Jill Peters’ RBI single in the sixth inning and added a pair of insurance runs in the top of seventh on RBI singles by Hughes and Brattin. UNO scored one in the bottom of the seventh and had runners on second and third before Dennis struck out Jenna Dell to end the game and earn her league leading third save.

The Hornets are scheduled to be back in action on Saturday at Northwest Missouri State. First pitch of the double header from Maryville, Mo. is set for 1 p.m.

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