Blue Angels Warm Up

Blue Angels Warm Up

TUCSON, Ariz. – The Mount Mary University softball team went 1-2 today at the Tucson Invite. The Blue Angels won their second game of the day against Skidmore and dropped their games against St. Scholastica and Cornell making MMU 4-7 on the year.

In the day's first contest, the Blue Angels started junior Adrianna Nester (Anaheim, Calif.) in the circle. Nester came out on fire striking out the first four batters that faced the right-hander.

Nester's effectiveness in the circle kept St. Scholastica out of the hit column for 4.1 innings. The Saints finally broke their hitless streak in the fifth inning when Krysta Felber placed a single to the outfield. Felber was moved into scoring position after the subsequent walk by Nester, but the Blue Angels defense was able to strand Felber in scoring position.

The Blue Angels were held hitless for the first three inning until junior outfield Haley Jacquez (Oakley, Calif.) cracked MMU's first single of the day in the fourth. After MMU was able to move Jacquez to second, they would leave the speedster stranded in scoring position.

The Saints scored the games first run in the sixth inning. After the leadoff runner reached on single, the Blue Angels were able to force her out two batters later, but five more singles by the Saints forced home three runs, all of which were earned.

MMU's offense replied in the bottom of the sixth inning with a pair of hits. MMU was not able to capitalize on the offensive uptick after an over run bas and a pop out ended the inning.

Nester completed 7.0 innings in the circle and struck out five batters in the loss. Nester gave up three runs off seven hits as she moves to 0-3 on the season.

In the second game of the day for the Blue Angels, took an early lead in the second inning. After Hannah Harnsberger (Jr./Hillsboro, Ore.) got the start in the circle in game two, she quickly retired the opposition 1-2-3.

After a one hit top of the second, the Blue Angels took to the plate and Adrianna Nester led the inning off with a triple. Nearly stranding the leadoff opportunity, the Blue Angels sent Karley Marcelina-Vega (Fr./Milwaukee, Wis.) to the dish with two outs. Marcelina-Vega cracked a single up the middle on the very first pitch of the at-bat giving MMU the early 1-0 lead.

MMU added two more runs in their turn in the third inning when Lauren Nylund (Fr./Muskego, Wis.) and Haley Jacquez led off the frame with back-to-back singles. Taylor Hienbuecher (Fr./Sycamore, Ill.) drove in the inning's first run with a lined single through the left side. Then Jacquez crossed the plate on a wild pitch pushing the lead to 3-0.

Skidmore scored two runs in the top of the fourth inning when a leadoff walk and subsequent error put the first two batters on the base paths. The Thoroughbreds pushed those runners home when they notched back-to-back hits of their own making the score 3-2 after 3.5 innings.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Blue Angels added another run when Harnsberger started the inning off earning a base by a walk. After Skidmore got the next two outs, Aislinn Strusz (Fr./Aurora, Ill.) struck a liner to right center for the RBI-single.

The Thoroughbreds tied the game in the top of the fifth inning when a leadoff double and then single, quickly set Skidmore up for a pair of runs.

The tie from the fifth lasted all the way through the scheduled seven innings pushing extra frames. With Halley Smalley (Jr./Columbus, Ind.) in the circle from the bullpen, the Blue Angels kept the Thoroughbreds scoreless despite placing three runners on base.

After coming in late, Smalley was credit with the win and moved to 3-2, albeit temporarily.

The Blue Angels used their extra-innings runner to full advantage. After moving that leadoff tiebreaking runner to third on a ground out to the right side, Haley Jacquez was able to cross the plate on a wild pitch during the next at-bat scoring the winning run.

In the final game of the day for the Blue Angels, MMU took on Cornell in a rematch from yesterday. The Rams offense faced Smalley in the circle for the day's finale. Smalley sat down the first two batters she faced, but after an MMU error, the Rams scored the opening run after a pair of walks and a hit batter.

Cornell added five runs in the second inning off a combined five hits. The frame started off with a single and stolen base by the Rams, then a two-run homerun.

The Rams then tacked on three more runs in the third inning off four hits and a walk. Then Cornell pushed the score out to 11-0 in the fourth inning when two MMU errors resulted in two unearned runs scoring by the Rams.

Despite reaching via walk multiple times throughout the contest, the Blue Angels were held out of the hit column until the fifth frame against Cornell. Amelia Flint (Sr./Whitefish Bay, Wis.) blasted a single to left field with one out in the fifth. With the score at 11-0 after five, the game was called.

Smalley was hit with the loss after going 4.0 innings in the circle and is now 3-3 on the year. The junior hurler gave up 11 runs, eight earned runs off 11 hits and three walks.

The Blue Angels return to the field Monday for two more games in the Tucson Invitational. MMU will first take on Bethany Lutheran in game one, then St. Mary's (Ind.) in the day's second contest. Check back to MtMaryAthletics.com for updates and scores on the games.