MILWAUKEE – The Mount Mary University softball team finished their 2015-16 regular season with a two game sweep over rival Maranatha Baptist. The Blue Angels won game one 8-0 in six innings, then defeated the Sabercats 3-0 in the second game. MMU now moves to 7-18 on the season, while the Sabercats are now 4-16.
In the first contest, the Blue Angels delivered a plethora of offense while Nikki Festge (Sr./Menomonee Falls, Wis.) dished out a the first MMU shutout of the season. In her final regular season collegiate game, Festge finished with eight strikeouts, zero walks and allowing only two hits.
Offensively, the Blue Angels forced over 40 pitches in the opening inning as MMU scored three runs off of two hits and one fielding error by the Sabercats. The first run coming off a two out double by freshman Madison Ledda (Tracy, Calif.).
Ledda finished game one going 2-of-2 from the plate with two walks, two runs scored and a game leading three RBIs.
The Blue Angels added two more runs in the third and fifth innings. The fifth inning scores again coming off the bat of Ledda with two outs. Following a RBI single in the sixth by Katie Groth (Fr./Racine, Wis.), the game would end right there 8-0.
Not only did every Blue Angel reach base safely in game one, but each senior (Festge, Michelle Argenzio (Brookfield, Wis.) and Shandrieka Richardson (Atlanta, Ga.)) was credited with at least one base hit.
The second game of the day was much more of a pitchers' duel. In the circle for the Blue Angels in the second game was Ashley Contreras (So./College Station, Texas). Contreras kept the Sabercats out of the run column as she surrendered five hits in 7.0 innings pitched while striking out nine.
It was not until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Blue Angels got their first hit of the game. All getting started with Argenzio's single through the left side of the infield, MMU scored two runs after Contreras knocked a pair of runners with a deep single.
In the final regular season at-bat of Nikki Festge's career, the senior blasted a towering shot to left center for her first homerun of the season making it 3-0 in the bottom of the sixth.
Now the Blue Angels will prepare for their first ever NCAA postseason as they head to Macon, Ga. for the Great South Athletic Conference tournament. Seeding for the tournament is still TBD as the regular seasons for the rest of the conference schools go into next week. Stay tuned to mtmaryathletics.com for updates and game times.
**Missed today's games? Watch and listen to today's full doubleheader here.
