WATERTOWN, Wis. – The Mount Mary University softball team defeated their rival Maranatha Baptist University in both games of their doubleheader at Brandt-Quirk Park. The Blue Angels (6-18) took the first contest 12-4 in six innings then defeated the Sabercats (1-25) by a final score of 8-2 in game two.
After receiving the Association of Division III Independents Player of the Week award early today, sophomore Adrianna Nester (Anaheim, Calif.) started in the circle in game one. Like she has in past performances against the Sabercats, Nester started off the game retiring the first three batters, then gave the Blue Angels the lead in the bottom half of the first inning off a single to center field.
The Blue Angels were able to score in every inning in the first contest. In the second inning, the Blue Angels received a pair of runs off one hit then scored only one run off three hits in the bottom of the third.
In typical rival fashion, the Sabercats clawed back in the fourth inning and erased the 4-0 deficit to tie things up. That lead only lasted for two more outs.
After the Blue Angels loaded the bases in the bottom half of the fourth, Melanie Coffey (So./Cedarburg, Wis.) was hit by the pitch to give MMU the lead the hard way. MMU added another run in the frame after a wild pitch resulted in the Blue Angels going up 6-4.
The Blue Angels nearly batted around the order in the bottom of the fifth inning to stretch things even further. After the first two runs in the inning scored via wild pitches, Payton Hintz (Sr./Almond, Wis.) launched her first homerun of the season deep over the left center field fence to add three runs.
After the Sabercats walked the bases loaded in the sixth, Nester hit a single through the right side to give MMU an eight-run lead and end the game early.
Nester finished with 6.0 innings pitched, striking out 11 and surrendering four earned runs off 11 hits. Nester, Hintz and Michaela Buchholz (So./Germantown, Wis.) had multi-hit games. Hintz led going 2-of-2 at the plate officially, with two walks and three RBIs.
Hannah Harnsberger (So./Hillsboro, Ore.) started on the rubber in the second game. The young pitcher retired three of the first four batters she faced to give MMU a chance to grab an early lead in their turn in the first.
The Blue Angels came through early with a three-run first inning. The inning began on Haley Jacquez (So./Oakley, Calif.) reaching after a dropped their strike hit the backstop. Back-to-back outs set the Blue Angels up for two two-out RBI singles which gave MMU the 3-0 lead.
MBU nipped away at the lead in the top of the fourth inning when the Sabercats scored on a Blue Angel error with two runners on base. The lapse cut the lead to 3-1 for MMU. Then the Sabercats responded again in the fifth inning with three hits that scored another run and made it a one-run game.
MMU answered in the fifth with a run scoring on an outfield error by the Sabercats. Then the Blue Angels added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning off four hits and a Sabercat error. Payton Hintz came through again with a two-RBI single to move the score to 8-2, the eventual final.
Harnsberger received the win in the decision in game two and is now 3-9 on the season. Harnsberger finished 7.0 innings, striking out four and surrendering one earned run off nine hits.
Jacquez and Buchholz paced the offense in the second contest. Jacquez finished 2-of-4 at the plate with three runs scored while Buchholz finished the day 2-of-3 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI.
MMU will return to action Fri. May 4 to take on Rockford University. The Blue Angels will head to Illinois for the season finale against the Regents with the doubleheader beginning at 3:00 pm. Live stats will be available at mtmaryathletics.com.