Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
1-0
Howard
0-1
Black Knights Offense Explodes in Season-Opening Win at Howard
February 20, 2021 | Softball
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"After a year of canceled games and behind the scenes work, I couldn't have asked for a better reunion to competition," senior captain Megan Muffett said. "I'm so proud to be a part of a team with enough gratitude and humility to shovel an icy field to play just a couple innings of softball in freezing weather. The game is so much bigger than runs scored and plays made. It's about making the most of every opportunity with the people to your left and right. Army softball showed that today."
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Muffett was 2-for-4 from the plate and had four RBIs, largely due her three-run blast in the third inning. The La Center, Wash., native was one of three members to record a multi-hit game. Angelina Bebek was 3-for-3 from the dish in her collegiate debut and Taylor Drayton was 2-for-2.
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Alicyn Grete pitched a combined four dominant innings on the mound. After allowing a hit against her first batter, she retired the next 12 batters she faced. The Niceville, Fla., native finished with nine strike outs on just 13 batters faced.
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Army held a 1-0 lead through the first two innings, thanks to an RBI single to right field off the bat of Drayton which scored Bebek in the top half of the first.
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The Cadets offense exploded for four runs in the third. After Ally Snelling had a sac fly to left which scored Bebek, Muffett sent a three-run blast over the center field wall to make it 5-0 Army.
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The Black Knights stayed hot in the fourth. Snelling had a homer of her own, which also scored Bebek. Two at bats later, Muffett picked up her fourth run batted in with an RBI double that brought around Drayton to make it 8-0. Muffett went on to score after a throwing error to build the Cadets lead to nine. With two outs and the bases load, Bebek capped off her impressive debut with a bases-clearing 3 RBI double to put the Black Knights ahead 12-0.
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The Bison got four runs back in the bottom of the fourth, but Army managed another four-run inning in the top of the fifth to make it 16-4.
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NOTES AND HIGHLIGHTS
- At one point Grete struck out six consecutive batters.
- The sophomore pitcher was on the mound for the first three innings and re-entered in the fifth.
- Three of Army's first five runs were scored by Bebek.
- This was the third time in her career that Muffett has registered four RBIs.
- Snelling recorded her fifth career home run.
- Eight different Cadets recorded a hit.
- Eleven Black Knights scored a run. Muffett and Bebek led the way with three each.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Grete, Alicyn (1-0)
L: Hixenbaugh, Sydney (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Bebek, Angelina 1 ; Drayton, Taylor 1 ; Muffett, Megan 1 ; Klepfer, Mikayla 1
HR: Snelling, Ally 1 ; Muffett, Megan 1
RBI: LaRusso, Julianna 1 ; Bebek, Angelina 3 ; Snelling, Ally 3 ; Drayton, Taylor 1 ; Muffett, Megan 4 ; Wilkes, Maddie 1 ; Klepfer, Mikayla 2 ; Snyder, Grace 1
SH: Livingston, Taylor 1
SF: Snelling, Ally 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Grete, Alicyn 1 ; Bebek, Angelina 3 ; Gilmore, Madi 1 ; Snelling, Ally 1 ; Caldwell, Ellie 1 ; Drayton, Taylor 2 ; Hurst, Leila 1 ; Muffett, Megan 3 ; Wilkes, Maddie 1 ; Klepfer, Mikayla 1 ; Taylor, Kelsey 1
SB: Bebek, Angelina 2 ; Klepfer, Mikayla 1
HBP: Hurst, Leila 1 ; Taylor, Kelsey 1
Batting:
RBI: Rainey, Savanna 1 ; Gibbs, Trinity 1 ; Beard, Te'La 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Salle, Ayana 1 ; Dennis, Kalita 1 ; Jones, Sydni 1 ; Rainey, Savanna 1
SB: Navarro, Camille 1
