Pride avoid heartbreak with pair of late victories in Kansas

SHAWNEE, Kan. - Opening up a neutral site weekend in Shawnee, Kan. to end the month of February, the Clarke University softball team earned a pair of victories on the same day for the first time in the 2026 season with a pair of one-run wins in a 6-5 win over Briar Cliff University and a 5-4 win against Columbia College.

In their first game of the day against the Chargers, CU jumped out early to a 5-0 lead behind a first inning RBI single by Teal Transburg, RBI singles from both Kaylie Holtam and Lauren Hefel in the second and a passed ball putting the Pride up 5-0 to finish a four-run inning in the second.

BCU produced a furious comeback in the top of the sixth inning, however, as they produced a full five-run inning to tie the game before Clarke started a two-out rally with a Holtam single and pair of stolen bases for Harlee Makue-Vasconcellos to come up clutch with a single to center, driving home Holtam to give CU a 6-5 lead.

Head coach Garland Shirley would call upon his number one pitcher to get the final three outs of the game as Meredith Gatto entered in relief, striking out the side with a two-out single mixed in to earn the save after a strong five-inning start from Emma Slayback as she struck out five hitters and allowing two earned runs on five hits and three walks.

Both Holtam and Makue-Vasconcellos finished with three-hit games and an RBI as Holtam scored three runs while Hefel, Transburg, Olivia Sikora, and Kynadee Harris all had a hit apiece in the game.

Against Columbia, the game played out to be a more back-and-forth affair with the Pride scoring again in the first inning with Alicia Amaya doubling home Hefel with a drive to center field before the Cougars answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning.

Holtam delivered again in the top of the second with an RBI single to right, making it 2-1, but again CC answered but this time with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to take their first lead of the game at 3-2.

Hefel gave Clarke the lead back with her second home run of the season by way of a two-run shot to score Holtam and make the game a 4-3 advantage for CU as Harris added a very valuable insurance run in the top of the seventh, allowing the Pride to give up a run in the bottom half but still hang on for the 5-4 victory.

That two-run home run was the only hit in the only at bat for Hefel in the game as she was walked three times to go 1-for-1 with two RBIs and three runs scored while Amaya and Transburg had two-hit games apiece.

Entering to pitch in the fourth inning, senior Payge Pyszka nearly shut down the Cougar offense with four relief innings allowing just that single run in the seventh inning on four hits with no walks and a strikeout, to earn her first win in the circle on the season.

Clarke softball will remain in Shawnee for two more games on Saturday, starting at 10:00 a.m. CT when they take on Bethany College before finishing up the weekend against Concordia University Nebraska at 12:15 p.m. CT.