ROCKFORD, Ill. – The Mount Mary University softball team played its first seven-inning game since April 27 of last year Wednesday night, battling Rockford University to the bitter end at Smith Athletic Field.
However, the Blue Angels bats awoke too late in the day to score a victory, dropping a mid-week double-header to the Regents 8-0 in 5 innings before falling 5-2 in a full, seven-inning game.
Despite three errors, Mount Mary (0-16) held strong on defense for much of the first game.
Rockford (4-12) scored two in the first and another in the fourth, but the Blue Angels were hanging tough entering the bottom of the fourth—when Rockford put the game away. Two hits and two costly MMU errors led to a five-run inning for Rockford. A quick one-two-three inning in Mount Mary's half of the fifth reaching the mercy rule plateau of eight runs after five innings, as the Angels came up just short.
Freshman Lauren Wiech (Colgate, Wis.) pitched a solid four innings in the game-one loss, issuing seven hits and just three earned runs.
Game two saw Rockford scoring first again, pushing a pair of runs across in the bottom of the first inning. For the second straight game, MMU chased just a three-run deficit into the fourth—actually holding the Regents in scoreless fourth and fifth innings.
The Blue Angels scattered six hits and nine runners throughout game two, but its earliest threat came in the top of the sixth. Sophomore Nicole Weggen (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and junior Katie Edwards (Mackinaw, Ill.) led off with consecutive singles into left field, followed by a walk to Hulsey to load the bases with nobody out. The new Regent pitcher then dialed in, retiring three straight Angels with strikeouts to stifle the threat.
Heads still high, Mount Mary responded immediately by turning a deep triple to right field into a perfect relay to cut down the Regent runner at home plate. A groundout to Weggen at second base made it a quick two, but finding that third out proved to be difficult as Rockford manufactured a pair of two-out runs to stretch its lead to five.
It was uncharted territory for the Blue Angels entering the top of the seventh inning, but two Regent errors allowed two MMU runners to reach base. With Weggen on second and senior Katie Wolk (Oshkosh, Wis.) on third, Edwards delivered with a two-RBI single to left field, scoring Mount Mary's first runs since its Florida trip.
Edwards took the loss in game two, with just two of the five runs counting as earned.
Offensively, Edwards tallied two doubles, going 3-for-5 at the plate in the twinbill. Wolk and Weggen both went 2-for-6 and scored a run and Wolk blasted her second double of the season in the game two.
Mount Mary hopes to continue improving this Saturday, hosting Maranatha Baptist University in its home-opening double-header at Noon and 2 p.m. at Kulwicki Park.
