Wessel Goes Yard In Season Opener
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
William Woods (MO) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
|
Crowley's Ridge | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Crowley's Ridge | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
|
Central Methodist (MO) | 3 | 9 | 0 | 2 | X | 14 | 13 | 1 |
Wessel Goes Yard In Season Opener- Wil Teague, Sports Information Director, 2/6/26
Game One:
Crowley's Ridge- 4
William Woods- 6
Branson, MO- 1st year Head Coach Ryan Hargrove and his 2026 Pioneer squad hit the diamond earlier this afternoon in their season's debut, flirting with the team's first season win in game one against William Woods University. Painfully, before CRC could close the contest out, WWU plucked the victory out of CRC's grasp in a 6-4 loss to the Lady Owls.
The Pioneers rallied alive in the bottom of the third inning to reclaim the lead from WWU, scoring three runs with three swings, with Hailey Tarrants doubling to score Lilly Wessel, and Maddie Burris and Olivia Lanham singling to drive in Tarrants and Jordan Janak. Two innings would pass before CRC pushed another run across the plate, this time senior Lilly Wessel did things herself with a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth, giving CRC the 4-3 lead. Grudgingly, the Owls would answer with a run in the 6th to tie the contest, along with 2 more runs in the 7th to regain the lead and claim the matchup.
The Pioneers mustered 7 hits, scoring 4 runs, and were led by Wessel and Tarrants with 2-4 performances (Wessel HR, RBI & Tarrants 2B, RBI). In the circle for the Pioneers, Sophomore Aimee Buckley took the loss, going the distance for the Pioneers, allowing 9 hits, 6 runs (2 earned), walking 1, and fanning 5 in 7.0 innings.
Game Two: 5 innings
Crowley's Ridge: 0
Central Methodist- 14
Branson, MO- The Pioneers' second contest of the day didn't go as smoothly as their first, with Central Methodist University taking care of the Pioneers in 5 innings, handing the Pioneers their first run-rule and shutout loss of the season. CMU held the Pioneers to 3 hits in the contest, with Lilly Wessel, Jada Diaz, and Aimee Buckley being the three credited with a base knock. Lauren Jones took the loss for the Pioneers surrerending 7 runs (5 earned) off 8 hits while walking 1 and striking out 1 in 3.0 innings.
Up Next: The Pioneers will continue their play at the Branson Bash with a final double header tomorrow, facing off against McPherson at 10:30 AM and Evangel University at 12:00 PM. #GOPIONEERS