A pair of complete-game pitching efforts weren't enough to help the Westminster Lady Blue Jays fend off a doubleheader sweep.
Freshman Abby Bartley and sophomore Alyson Hahn each went the distance on the mound, but the Lady Blue Jays bowed to the MacMurray Lady Highlanders by scores of 5-4 and 4-2, respectively, in SLIAC twinbill play on Wednesday at Saucier Field.
Bartley (South Callaway) tossed all seven innings for Westminster (10-15, 7-5 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) in the finale. She struck out three, scattered five hits, gave up five runs (four earned), while walking one.
The Lady Blue Jays supplied her with a four-run cushion thanks to an offensive outburst in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman center fielder Amber Tepen and sophomore catcher Alyssa Johnson each hit RBI singles, while sophomore third baseman Anne Baker's two-run homer capped off Westminster's scoring.
The Lady Highlanders (12-15, 8-6 SLIAC) got on the board with a run in the top of the third, then squared the game by tallying three runs in the fifth. MacMurray plated the winning run on Breezy Walton's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
Lady Blue Jays sophomore second baseman Kelsi Hill went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, while Baker and Johnson each were 1-for-2 with a run scored.
Bartley and Tepen each went 1-for-4 for Westminster, which collected seven hits.
Hahn struck out nine in the Lady Blue Jays' opening, eight-inning loss. She gave up four runs (three earned), walked three and relinquished nine hits.
Down 2-0 midway through the sixth, Westminster notched their only two runs of the game in the bottom of inning to even the game. Johnson reached on a fielder's choice to drive in Tepen, then moved home on a passed ball to make it 2-all.
The Lady Highlanders belted a pair of RBI doubles in the top of the eighth to plate the deciding runs.
Tepen went 2-for-4 with a double. Bartley - playing first - went 1-for-3, while Johnson finished 1-for-4 to account for Westminster's four hits.
The Lady Blue Jays played a SLIAC twinbill at Fontbonne University on Thursday. Results were not available at press time. Westminster hosts a non-conference doubleheader against Washington University-St. Louis today, with games scheduled to start at 4 and 6 p.m., respectively.