MILWAUKEE – The Mount Mary University softball team (6-19) dropped two games today to host Milwaukee School of Engineering. MSOE (26-10) defeated the Blue Angels 9-4 in game one, then 10-2 in the day's finale.
In game one, Haley Smalley (Jr./Columbus, Ind.) received the start at pitcher for MMU. Smalley and the Blue Angels were able to keep the Raiders off the scoreboard until the bottom of the second inning. After MSOE put runners on first and third base, the Raiders sent their runner at first base, when the Blue Angels responded by trying to throw the runner out, the Raider sitting at third base broke for home and made the score 1-0 after crossing the plate.
The Blue Angels were able to tie things up in the top half of the third inning. Lauren Nylund (Fr./Muskego, Wis.) led off the inning by slapping an infield single. Haley Johnson (Jr./Germantown, Wis.) stepped into the batter's box the next at-bat and was hit by the pitch. Adrianna Nester (Jr./Anaheim, Calif.) then bunted her teammates into scoring position. Taylor Hienbuecher (Fr./Sycamore, Ill.) then sent Nylund home on a single to the shortstop.
MSOE broke the score open in the bottom of the third inning off five hits, one walk and one batter hit-by-pitch. Although the Blue Angels did commit one error in the inning, the Raiders only tallied one unearned run. After the inning, the Raiders took a 7-1 lead.
MMU chipped into the lead the very next half inning. With one out, Amelia Flint (Sr./Whitefish Bay, Wis.) ripped the game's first triple to left field. After a strikeout, Karley Marcelina-Vega (Fr./) brought Flint home on a fielding error by the shortstop.
The Blue Angels added two more runs in the top half of the fifth inning. The active inning saw a total of four hits by the Blue Angels. After Haley Johnson scored on an error by Smalley, Kirsten George (So./Fairborn, Ohio) ripped an RBI single to center field to move the score to 7-4.
The Raiders stretched out the lead in the bottom of the fifth when two unearned runs scored on a single by MSOE's Julia Marsh.
Smalley was dealt the loss in the decision and is now 2-7 on the season. The junior hurler went 6.0 innings in the circle surrendering 10 hits, nine runs, six earned runs.
Hienbuecher, Flint and Nylund all led the MMU offense with multi-hit games. Hienbuecher and George both recorded RBIs for the Blue Angels.
In the day's second game, the Blue Angels took an early lead. After the speedy Haley Jacquez (Jr./Oakley, Calif.) hit an infield single, a double by Nester put two runners in scoring position. Hienbuecher delivered with an RBI-groundout to second base the next batter, then the team's RBI leader, Aislinn Strusz (Fr./Aurora, Ill.), placed a single to left field to score Nester and give MMU the 2-0 lead.
With Hannah Harnsberger in the circle for game two, the Blue Angels held the opposition scoreless for the first two innings despite giving up an error in each of the first frames. In the bottom of the third, the Raiders were able to strike after a one out double led to a scored after another MMU error. Then after another base hit by MSOE, the Raiders were able to capitalize on the error once again scoring on a sacrifice fly to center field.
The Raiders then took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out and runners at second and third base, MSOE scored both runners in scoring position on a blooping double to short left field. Then the Raiders added two more runs in the inning to make the score 6-2.
In the bottom half of the sixth inning, the Raiders were able to add to their lead. Two runs came across the plate on a triple that dropped right next to the foul line deep in right field. A bobbled play on the next groundball resulted in one more run scoring making it 9-2. Then the game ended early when the Raiders scored their tenth run of the game on a bloop RBI-single to right field forcing the eight-run rule.
Harnsberger was given the loss in the decision and is now 3-3 on the season. She went 5.2 innings in the circle surrendering 10 runs, seven earned runs, off 16 hits.
On offense, Haley Jacquez finished 1-of-2 at the plate, while Hienbuecher and Strusz collected one RBI each.
The Blue Angels are scheduled to return to the diamond tomorrow at Alverno College. The doubleheader on Thu. Apr. 25 begins at 3:00 pm. Live stats and video will be available for both games, for links check MtMaryAthletics.com.