ST. CHARLES, Mo. -- Shelby Sievers hit a home run in both games of a doubleheader Saturday as the Poplar Bluff softball team reached 20 wins on the season.
Sievers hit a two-run homer in the first inning of the opener, a 7-3 Mules win, and hit another two-run shot in the first inning of a 10-0 Poplar Bluff win in the six-inning nightcap.
Adrienne Stucker tossed a two-hitter for her third shutout of the season in the second game, striking out six. Sievers earned the win in the opener, allowing one earned run on 13 hits while striking out three.
Poplar Bluff (20-5) has won seven straight to reach 20 wins for a third straight season.
Abby Gregory had two hits in both games, Lauren Alexander had an RBI double in the opener and was 3 for 3 with another double and two RBIs in the nightcap.
Sievers' sixth homer of the season put the Mules up 2-0 in the opener before Alexander's RBI double in the fourth scored Calli Gerber who singled to start the inning. Jordyn Caldwell followed with an RBI single. Emma Johnson provided a two-run single in the fifth while Audrey Lack had an sacrifice fly for a 7-1 lead.
In the second game, Sievers' 17th career homer put the Mules up 3-0 in the bottom of the first. Five straight batters reached with two outs in a five-run fifth for the Mules, who ended the game early on Stucker's two-out RBI single.
Stucker (11-1) threw out a runner attempting to steal home following a triple in the first inning then retired 14 of the next 15 hitters before giving up another hit.
CROSS COUNTRY
Running in their second meet in five days, Poplar Bluff placed fifth in both the boys and girls team standings Saturday at the Cape Central Invitational.
"The heat got the best of them and we just couldn't push through it," Mules coach Beth Lewis-Muse said. "We have had a hard week of racing and can rest a bit new before Fox."
Katie Sliger placed fifth in 21 minutes, 25 seconds to lead the Mules while Katelyn Moeller (23:05) was 20th, Brooke Slayton (24:22) 24th, Ava Smith (27:14) 41st followed by Kenya Jones (27:17) and MacKenzie Dowd (27:19).
Jaden Deaton led the Mules in 18:36 for 12th while Wesley Moore (18:50) was 14th. Victor Olivan (20:27) finished 42nd, Dylan Cisne (20:33) 46th, Seth Ingle (21:21) 56th, Parker Nagy (21:22) 57th and Brent Worley (22:32) 69th.