NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's softball team used a sixth-inning spurt in game one and shut the door in the bottom of the seventh in game two to earn matching 4-3 wins over Alma in a conference doubleheader on Saturday.

 

In the opener, the Scots got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning with back-to-back doubles to lead things off. Mandi Hettinger limited the damage to just one run with a strikeout and a pair of ground outs to make it a 1-0 score. The Belles then put two aboard in the bottom half of the inning as Sydney Swartz hit a two-out single and Alyssa Gutierrez reached on an error, but a fly out to left field ended the scoring chance for Saint Mary's.

 

The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the fifth inning. McKenna Shoupe drew a lead-off walk, and Mac Pepper advanced Shoupe to second on a sacrifice bunt. The freshman then stole third base before Mandi Hettinger helped her own cause with a single up the middle to plate Shoupe for a 1-1 score.

 

The Scots responded with a run of their own in the top of the sixth to regain a lead, but the Belles countered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to gain the momentum late. JoAnna Keilman started things off with a single before McKenna Myers singled and Sydney Swartz drew a walk with one out to load the bases. With the infield drawn in to try to get the force out at the plate, Alyssa Gutierrez lifted a single just over the Alma shortstop's glove to score Myers and Keilman on the play for a 3-2 Saint Mary's lead. McKenna Shoupe then kept the offense firing with a single through the left side to plate Swartz for a 4-2 advantage. Two batters later, Mandi Hettinger ripped a shot between the line and the Alma third baseman. The Scots' third baseman knocked the ball down enough to keep it from rolling into the outfield, and a play at the plate saw Gutierrez get tagged out just before sliding in safely to end the inning.

 

The Scots led off the inning with a single and a two-base error to put a runner on third with no one out. A sacrifice fly scored the runner easily from third as the Scots edged within a run at 4-3. A two-out single followed by a stolen base put the tying run into scoring position, but Hettinger drew a groundout to McKenna Myers at first base to end the game.

 

Mandi Hettinger went 3-for-4 with an RBI for the Belles. Alyssa Gutierrez was 1-for-3 with two RBI, and Caitlin Traxler was 1-for-3 with a double. JoAnna Keilman and McKenna Shoupe each had a hit and scored a run while Shoupe drove in a run of her own. McKenna Myers and Sydney Swartz each added a hit and a run for the Belles. Hettinger went the distance in the circle for her second pitching win in as many days. The junior allowed just two earned runs on seven hits with two strikeouts and no walks. She needed just 81 pitches for the complete-game win.

 

In the nightcap, the Belles scored twice in the second and twice in the third to build a 4-0 lead. With two outs gone, Sydney Swartz beat out a flip throw at second base to keep the inning alive as Libby Bierbaum safely reached first base on the fielder's choice. Alyssa Gutierrez then laced a single to right field as Swartz came in to score from second on the play. An error by the Scots' first baseman kept the inning alive and loaded the bases, and a passed ball to McKenna Shoupe allowed Bierbaum to score for the 2-0 advantage.

 

A three-up, three-down defensive inning put Saint Mary's back up to bat quickly. JoAnna Keilman drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on a wild pitch. An infield single by Caitlin Traxler put runners on the corners, and Liv Lauck delivered a double to center field to plate Keilman. Bierbaum was hit by a pitch two batters later as the Belles kept the inning alive with two outs, and Gutierrez drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Traxler for the 4-0 lead.

 

The Belles nearly got out of a jam in the bottom of the fourth as the Scots had runners on first and second with two outs gone. Alma, however, used a two-out double to the left-center gap to plate a pair of runs to make it a 4-2 game. A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth edged Alma within a run at 4-3, but Mandi Hettinger reined in a fly out in right field to force the Scots into stranding a pair of runners on base.

 

A pair of singles by the Scots in the bottom of the seventh gave Alma some late-game energy, and a sacrifice bunt put the two runners both into scoring position with just one out gone. Libby Bierbaum, however, drew a pop up to Caitlin Traxler at second and a groundout to Alyssa Gutierrez at third as the Belles closed the door on the game-two victory.

 

Gutierrez was 1-for-1 with two RBI, a walk, and was hit by a pitch. Liv Lauck had a double and an RBI, and Caitlin Traxler tallied a hit and scored a run. JoAnna Keilman, Sydney Swartz, and Libby Bierbaum each scored a run. Bierbaum earned the complete-game victory while allowing three runs with a walk and four strikeouts in the circle.

 

The Belles (6-4, 5-1 MIAA) are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Trine for a conference doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m.