Milwaukee, WI – The Mount Mary University softball team came into Thursday's season ending doubleheader against Rockford University knowing a modern program record in wins was within reach. After shooting out to an 8-1 lead in game 1, it seemed win #14 on the season (equaling the program NCAA record) was a foregone conclusion, however the Regents of Rockford did not cooperate as they came back to tie the game at 8 in the top of the 6th inning.
After a scoreless top of the 7th for Rockford, Brianna Lupa, who had also pitched the entire game, led off the bottom of the 7th with a blast over the left field wall to end the game and send the Blue Angels to their 14th victory, the win insured that the 2022 squad would have the highest single season winning percentage at 43.7%, since Blue Angel softball began playing in the NCAA in 2010. Thursday's game 1 was a microcosm of the 2022 season, the Blue Angels started fast, faced and overcame adversity, and pulled out an exciting win to make program history.
Head Coach Perry Clark on the season as a whole and making history on the 2022 season, "I am most proud of our six seniors. They have set the bar for next year and we will work hard to achieve similar success and more."
Game 2 did not provide the excitement or positive result of game 1 unfortunately, the Regents put runs on the board early, and never looked back, taking a 10-2 victory to split the twin bill.
As a team, Mount Mary finished with a 14-18 record, again setting a new high mark for single season winning percentage, Clark continued to reflect on the season and the future of Blue Angel softball, "I wish we could have played more games this season (MMU had 12 games cancelled due to weather), but at the same time, we were happy just to have a season. The team will take a month off and then begin off season work, we plan to reload, not rebuild."
In addition to her walk off homerun, Brianna Lupa was again a winner in the pitching circle in game one. Lupa set a new single season record for pitching wins and broke her own single season record for strikeouts, Lupa fanned 101 batters during the 2022 campaign and was named second team all-conference. Clark believes Lupa's best is yet to come, "Bri (Lupa) will continue to get better and master her pitches. We are expecting continued success."
The other Blue Angel who has remarkably left their impression on the record books is senior Aislinn Strusz (also named 2nd team all-conference), in Thursday's doubleheader, Strusz had 5 hits, 5 runs batted in, a homerun and a stolen base. Strusz set a new single season records for runs batted in with 41, single season hits, and her .472 batting average is the highest ever achieved in a single season by a Blue Angel softball player in the modern era. Combining this offense with her impeccable play in center field made her remarkably valuable for the Blue Angels, Clark on Strusz, "Aislinn (Strusz) has had an amazing last two seasons, she has worked incredibly hard for everything she has achieved, she has set a tone for our underclassmen."
For all further updates on Mount Mary softball and all athletic teams, stay tuned to www.mtmaryathletics.com
