MILWAUKEE – Mount Mary's softball season drew to a close Friday night as the Blue Angels hosted Maranatha Baptist for the third matchup of the season. While MMU held a 3-1 season advantage heading into the showdown, Maranatha evened the season series with 24-1 and 10-9 victories at Kulwicki Park.
Maranatha (4-17) came into game one with bats on fire, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. The Crusaders added five more in the second and batted around in the third with a 10-spot to cruise to the first game victory.
Mount Mary (3-29) tallied four official errors in game one to go with just one hit.
With sophomore Tracy Boutell (Brown Deer, Wis.) on base after a leadoff walk in the bottom of the fifth, freshman Phoenix Hulsey (Wauwatosa, Wis.) knocked a hard shot off the pitcher's glove to record the only hit of the game. Boutell was looking to make things happen on the basepath, successfully stealing third base. The throw down to third sailed into left field, allowing Boutell to score the lone run in the opener.
Game two was a much closer affair, as the teams traded leads six times throughout the full seven inning game.
Mount Mary's defense looked much stronger early, posting a 1-2-3 top half of the first inning. Offensively, the Angels got off to a great start as well with sophomore Shandrieka Richardson (Atlanta, Ga.) earning a leadoff walk. Freshman Lauren Wiech (Colgate, Wis.) pasted a deep single to centerfield, and after an intentional walk issued to junior Katie Edwards (Mackinaw, Ill.) the bases were loaded with nobody out. Sophomore Nicole Weggen (Menomonee Falls, Wis.), hitting cleanup for the first time this season, came through with a Texas-leaguer single into right, scoring Richardson. A Boutell sac fly to centerfield scored Wiech and made it 2-0 after one.
MBU promptly responded with two runs of its own in the second, and took a 3-2 lead after its half of the third. Yet the top of the order responded again for the Blue Angels, as both Richardson and Edwards reached base with one out. For her second at-bat in a row, Boutell drove an RBI-earning shot up the middle to score both runners, taking back the lead 4-2 after three.
The Angels added a run in the fourth, as Hulsey—who was issued a walk to start the inning—was sacrificed to second base by sophomore Angela Drew (Richfield, Wis.). A wild pitch advanced Hulsey to third, and a toss back to the pitcher went awry, scoring the deft Blue Angel freshman on the play.
Maranatha retook the lead in the top of the fifth with two RBI singles and a costly two-out error that pushed the Crusaders back into the lead 6-5.
For the second straight time, Mount Mary came back with a big inning of its own. Wiech blasted a leadoff double over the right fielder's head and promptly advanced to third on a wild pitch. Edwards was issued her third intentional walk of the day, but a wild pitch moved her to second and scored Wiech. Weggen was issued a pass to first base on the ensuing at-bat, bringing up the hot-hitting Boutell.
Clutch should be her middle name as for the third straight time Boutell tallied an RBI with another rocket to center, scoring the pinch-running freshman Kadesia Hill (Milwaukee, Wis.). Weggen scored on another wild pitch by the MBU hurler, and freshman Harmony French (Amherst, Wis.) would be walked in her next at-bat. Boutell was cut down at third trying to steal, but French would eventually score on a misplayed grounder by the second baseman that allowed Drew to reach for the first time Friday. At the end of the fifth, Mount Mary had surged into the lead, 9-6.
The Crusaders seemingly had MMU right where they wanted it, with the top of the lineup stepping up to the plate. They plated a resounding 4-run response of their own with two outs on an RBI triple, an ensuing wild pitch and yet another costly late-game MMU error that scored the game winning pair of runs for Maranatha.
Boutell, French and Hulsey couldn't find the magic in the bottom of the seventh inning, recording a 1-2-3 inning to come up just short of a signature comeback victory.
Mount Mary finishes the 2014 campaign with a 3-29 overall record.
Three Blue Angels were honored for their commitment to the program prior to the opener, as Boutell, Drew and Hulsey all wore the Navy and Gold for the final time in their collegiate careers.
