Maybe Emporia State was more at home in the cold, maybe not.  Nonetheless the Hornets Sunday won a game 7-4 over Incarnate Word as the thermometer registered temperatures in the 30s.

This game was the tag end of the UIW Round Robin which stretched over three days intermittently with two of the seven games being lost to weather.

On Sunday Emporia (3-1) got two in the third and then put it away with four in the fifth.  Kendra Gifford homered in the third for the two runs before UIW starter Briana Sanchez suffered through a rare inning for her.  With two outs she hit a batter, walked the next before allowing a two-run double to Amanda Self.  Two more walks were followed by a two-run single off the bat of Taylor Zordel. 

On the day Sanchez (2-1) gave up the seven runs, all earned, on nine hits with the three free passes.  She struck out five.

Incarnate Word (4-2), down 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth, rallied.  Sarah O'Brien singled, Ashley Freeman singled, Mallory Henry bunted for a single and the sacks were jammed for Lea Padilla.  She promptly one-hopped the right center field fence clearing the bases.  Whitney Waltrip singled to right driving home pinch runner Chelsea Muskopf.

Emporia got one of those back in the sixth when Gifford homered for the second time.

The Cardinals now take some days to practice before hosting Texas A&M International in a doubleheader on Thursday (February 16) with first pitch at 1 p.m.

ESU     0 0 2  0 4 1  0  --  7  9  0

UIW`     0 0 0  0 4 0  0  --  7  11 0

Jennifer Heerey, Karley Schmelzer (7) and Amanda Self.  Briana Sanchez and Shelby Waltrip.  WP—Heerey (2-0).  LP—Sanchez (2-1).  Save—Schmelzer (1).  HR—ESU, Kendra Gifford 2.