Pioneer Softball Splits with Stars

Pioneer Softball Splits with Stars- Wil Teague, Sports Information Director, 4/17/26

Pioneer Softball earned its fifth conference win this afternoon, splitting with the Stars of Stephens College with a 14-1 loss in game one and an 11-9 win in game two. 

Game One: (5-innings)

Crowley's Ridge- 1

Stephens College- 14

Columbia, MO- The Stars of Stephens College opened the conference doubleheader with a dominant win over the Pioneers with a 5-inning run-rule win. Stephens rallied for 14 runs on 10 hits while limiting the Pioneers to a single run on four hits. Junior Hailey Tarrants plated the Pioneers' sole run with the Sikeston, MO native blasting her fourth homer of the year in the top of the fifth. Sophomores Jordan Janak, Maddie Burris, and junior Jada Diaz joined Tarrants with a hit apiece in the loss. Righty sophomore Aimee Buckley suffered the loss in the circle. 

Game Two: 

Crowley's Ridge- 11

Stephens College- 9

Columbia, MO – In game two, a late-game weather delay proved to be a turning point for the Pioneers, who came out of the stoppage and completed a comeback victory highlighted by Hailey Tarrants' second home run of the day, a two-run blast in the top of the seventh. The game was halted around the fifth inning with momentum shifting in favor of the Pioneers. Before the delay, CRC erupted for five runs in the top of the fifth to take a 5-3 lead over the Stars. Cloey Miller, Jordan Janak, Lilly Wessel, and Aimee Buckley all showed patience and discipline at the plate, helping drive in much-needed runs and spark the Pioneers' offense. When play resumed, the Stars answered with an offense of their own, pushing runs to the plate over the next three innings, but thanks to the Pioneers' big swings and perseverance, CRC would also plate runs on the Stars, leaving enough gap on the scoreboard to survive and force the split. 

Crowley's Ridge recorded seven hits in the win, led by Cloey Miller with three RBIs (1-for-4). Tarrants went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Lauren Jones added a 2-for-4 performance with a double and an RBI, and earned the complete-game win in the circle.

Up Next: Due to rain in Hannibal, MO,  the Pioneers' next matchup will now be against Williams Baptist University on Tuesday, April 21st, in an AMC doubleheader in Walnut Ridge, AR. #GOPIONEERS 

Photo Credit: Amy Glenn