NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's softball team took a 5-1 win over Albion before coming up short in a 9-1 (5 innings) game against Calvin in a pair of non-conference games on Friday afternoon.

 

The Belles got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning with a three-run spurt. JoAnna Keilman led off with a double, and Caitlin Traxler traded places with the senior two batters later with a double of her own to plate Keilman for the game's first run. McKenna Myers dropped a single to right field to put runners on the corners. Myers then swiped second base, and Caitlin Traxler stole home on the play as Myers was able to advance to third on the play for a 2-0 lead. McKayla Noecker then punched a single up the middle to plate Myers for a 3-0 Saint Mary's lead.

 

The Brits responded with a run in the top of the third after an error allowed a runner to score from third base. Saint Mary's plated a run in both the fourth and sixth innings in a big way. McKenna Myers blasted a home run well over the left field fence for the freshman's first collegiate homer for a 4-1 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Caitlin Traxler helped her own cause with a solo bomb to left-center field for her first home run in a Saint Mary's uniform for the 5-1 lead. The Belles closed out the win by forcing the Brits into stranding a runner in the top of the seventh for the four-run win.

 

Caitlin Traxler went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs scored, a double, and a home run. McKenna Myers was 2-for-3 with an RBI, two runs, and a home run. Mandi Hettinger tallied a pair of hits, and McKayla Noecker drove in a run with a hit. JoAnna Keilman registered a hit and scored a run. Traxler earned the complete-game victory by scattering five hits over seven innings, striking out five, and not allowing any earned runs.

 

In game two for the Belles, Calvin plated three runs in the first, three runs in the second, two in the third, and one in the fourth inning. A two-RBI double with no one out and a one-out sacrifice fly gave the Knights three runs on four hits and a Saint Mary's error. The Knights plated three runs in the bottom of the second of four more hits, including an RBI triple, to gain the 6-0 lead through two complete.

 

Trailing 8-0 going into the top of the fourth, the Belles were able to break through onto the scoreboard. Alyssa Gutierrez was hit by a pitch to lead the inning off, and Mandi Hettinger dropped a single into right-center field to put two on base. JoAnna Keilman then hit a single up the middle as Gutierrez was waved in to score on the play. Hettinger and Keilman both moved up a base on the thow by the Knights as the Belles had two runners in scoring position with no outs. A strike out and a first-to-home double play by Calvin, however, ended the scoring chance for Saint Mary's. The Knights plated a run in the bottom of the fourth to gain an eight-run advantage going into the fifth. Needing a run to keep the game alive, McKayla Noecker was hit by a pitch to start the inning and advanced to third on back-to-back ground outs. A ground out to the Calvin third baseman, however, ended the inning and the game by the 9-1 margin.

 

JoAnna Keilman had an RBI single in her one countable plate appearance as the senior was also hit by a pitch in the game. Mac Pepper picked up a hit, and Mandi Hettinger tallied a hit for the Belles. Alyssa Gutierrez scored the run for the Belles after being hit by a pitch. Hettinger suffered the pitching loss in the circle after the 1.2 innings of work. McKayla Noecker threw the final 2.1 innings in the circle in relief as the pair were tabbed with seven earned runs collectively.

 

The Belles (7-7) have a short rest before hosting Kalamazoo and Alma on Saturday for non-conference contests starting at noon.