KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Utah Valley University softball scored four runs in the first and two more in the sixth but it wasn't enough, as Missouri-Kansas City managed to overcome the early deficit en route to a 9-6 series-finale victory on Saturday afternoon at UMKC's Missouri 3&2 Complex.
 
The Kangaroos improve to 18-19 overall and 7-2 in WAC play after taking two of three from the Wolverines (6-32, 2-7 WAC) in the series.
 
"We showed great fight today, ultimately the little stuff got us again and that's something we can improve on," head coach Nikki Palmer said. "I'm proud of the girls and the offensive adjustments they made."
 
Fresh off of a win in the nightcap of Friday's doubleheader, the Wolverines wasted no time getting on the board in Saturday's finale by scoring four times in the first inning to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Breezy Roth started the scoring with her second home run in as many days to give UVU an early 1-0 lead. Following a triple from Dana De La Torre, Brianna Gatlin drove her home with an RBI single to right to make it 2-0. Tiani Hensley then capped the scoring with a two-run home run to left, her fifth of the season, to give the Wolverines the early four-run advantage.   
 
The 'Roos then chipped away at the deficit and managed to score seven unanswered runs over the next five innings -- with two in the first, four in the fourth and one in the fifth -- to take a 7-4 lead of their own.  
 
With UMKC still holding to a 7-4 advantage in the sixth, the UVU offense once again got things going as it managed to drive home a pair of runs to make it a one-run contest at 7-6. After Jaymee Lawton and Cera Stanley both reached via a hit by pitch and a respective walk, Roth once again came through for the Wolverines with a single up the middle to drive in Lawton. With the bases later loaded, Gatlin then delivered a two-out RBI single of her own to make it a one-run contest. UMKC reliever Katie Kelley then managed to strand a trio of Wolverines on the base paths after drawing an inning-ending ground ball off the bat of Hensley to end the threat.
 
The Kangaroos then loaded the bases in the last of the sixth and managed to score a pair of insurance runs on a two-run single from Rachel Pate to extend their lead to 9-6.
 
UVU then hoped for some seventh-inning heroics, but Kelley retired the Wolverines in order to seal the win for UMKC.
 
Despite allowing six earned runs in 5.1 innings, Amber Grove earned her 10th win of the season for Kansas City, while Kelley picked up her second save of the year after pitching an inning and two-thirds of scoreless relief. Bailey Moore (3-18) suffered the loss for Utah Valley after giving up five earned runs in 3.1 innings of work.
 
Gatlin paced the Wolverine offense in the game by going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored while Roth finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a home run. Pate led the 'Roos after a perfect 4-for-4 performance with four RBIs and two runs scored.
 
The Wolverines will now return to Orem for their final homestand of the season. UVU will open the homestand with a midweek non-conference contest against neighboring rival BYU on Wednesday, April 20, before welcoming Grand Canyon to town for a three-game WAC series next weekend (April 22-23).