Posted: Mar 11, 2022
CLERMONT, Fla. - There was no shortage of drama as the Saint Mary's softball team took a 4-2 win over John Carroll before staging a seventh-inning comeback in a 6-5 victory over Ohio Wesleyan to wrap up their Florida trip.
The Belles got out of a pair of tight situations on defense in both the bottom of the first and second innings against John Carroll. In the first inning, Natalie Quinlan cut down a runner trying to steal for the second out of the inning. A two-out double by John Carroll put a runner into scoring position, but a ground out back to Mandi Hettinger in the pitching circle stopped the scoring chance. The Blue Streaks had runners on the corners with just one out gone, but Hettinger drew an infield pop up before painting the outside corner for a big strikeout looking to end the second.
The top of the third inning saw Natalie Quinlan drop a lead-off single into center field before Paige Madden came in to pinch run. Mac Pepper put down a sacrifice bunt to move Madden into scoring position. McKenna Shoupe then belted a home run to right-center to put the Belles up 2-0.
The Blue Streaks put a pair of runners on base with no outs in the bottom of the third. An infield pop up gave the Belles their first out, and a line-drive double play to Alexis Rauch at first base closed out the third. John Carroll got a run back in the bottom of the fourth with a double and an RBI single, and the Blue Streaks tied the game in the fifth with a sacrifice fly.
The Belles got the lead and a big boost of momentum with a two-out rally in the top of the seventh inning. Mac Pepper started the rally with an infield single. McKenna Shoupe drew a walk to put two runners on base, and Rylee Hershberger delivered the clutch hit with a two-out double to right-center field to plate the pair for a 4-2 advantage. John Carroll used a one-out single and a wild pitch to put a runner on second, but McKenna Grigoli collected a big strikeout to put the Belles an out away from the win. The Blue Streaks put the pressure on with a single up the middle, but McKenna Myers got to the ball and made a throw to the plate with Quinlan applying the tag in time to cut down the runner and preserve the big 4-2 win.
McKenna Shoupe went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI, two runs scored, a stolen base, and the first home run of her collegiate career. Rylee Hershberger added a 2-for-3 effort at the dish with a walk, a double, and two RBI. Mac Pepper had a hit and scored a run, Natalie Quinlan and McKenna Myers each added a hit, and Paige Madden scored a run for the Belles. Mandi Hettinger went 3.1 innings in the circle with two strikeouts and no walks. McKenna Grigoli went the final 3.2 innings in the circle with four strikeouts and no extra-base hits on her way to earning her first collegiate pitching victory.
The Belles took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Shoupe led off with a single, and Hershberger was hit by a pitch to put a pair on base. A groundout advanced the pair 60 feet, and McKenna Myers drove in Shoupe with a ground out.
The Battling Bishops tied the game in the top of the second and capitalized on errors in the third and fifth innings to gain a 5-1 lead late in the contest. After the Belles left a pair of runners in scoring position in the bottom of the third, Shoupe earned a one-out walk in the bottom of the fifth but was unable to advance past first base. The defense, meanwhile, came up with a clutch third-to-first-to-home double play in the top of the sixth inning to prevent Ohio Wesleyan from extending their lead.
Down 5-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Belles made a huge comeback. McKenna Grigoli led off with a single, and Shelby Dellasandro added a pinch-hit single to put two runners on base. Back-to-back outs, however, nearly saw the comeback stop before it really could get started. Mac Pepper delivered a huge boost with an RBI single to drive in Grigoli, and Caitlin Traxler added an RBI single of her own to plate Dellasandro as the momentum continued to build in favor of Saint Mary's. McKenna Myers drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases, and Alexis Rauch tied the game with a two-RBI single as Pepper and Traxler both came in to score. A full-count pitch was put in play by Mandi Hettinger, and the Ohio Wesleyan second baseman was unable to make the play as an error allowed Myers to score the game-winning and game-ending run in the 6-5 final.
McKenna Shoupe, Mac Pepper, Caitlin Traxler, McKenna Grigoli, and Shelby Dellasandro each had a hit and scored a run. Rylee Hershberger, Winnie Tomsheck, and Alexis Rauch each added a hit, and Rauch drove in two runs. Pepper, Traxler, and McKenna Myers each collected an RBI in the win. Grigoli earned her second win in relief in as many games after going the final two-plus innings in the circle and striking out one.
The two wins were the first two coaching victories for first-year co-head coaches Cassie Young and Jamie Young.
The Belles (2-5) are scheduled to travel to Manchester on Thursday, March 17 for a doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m.