Posted: Mar 08, 2022
CLERMONT, Fla. - The Saint Mary's softball team continued to battle their way through a pair of games but came up on the short end of a 7-1 final against Ohio Northern and a 3-2 game against Marian on Tuesday.
The Belles jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning against Ohio Northern. McKenna Shoupe led off with a single before stealing second base. With two outs gone, Caitlin Traxler drove in Shoupe with a single for a quick 1-0 lead.
The Polar Bears threatened to tie things up in the bottom half of the inning by loading the bases before Grace Renschen drew a line drive out and an infield ground out to end the threat. An RBI single by Ohio Northern in the bottom of the second and a lead-off home run in the third gave the Polar Bears a 2-1 advantage midway through the contest.
Rylee Hershberger led off the fourth with a single before a double play defensively by Ohio Northern cleared the bases. McKenna Myers tried to get the offense going again in the inning with a single of her own, but the Belles were unable to advance the sophomore any further.
Ohio Northern plated four runs in the bottom of the fourth, and one more in the bottom of the fifth. The Belles were unable to get another runner into scoring position down the stretch in the 7-1 final in their first game of the day.
McKenna Shoupe had a hit and scored a run, and Caitlin Traxler added a hit with an RBI. Rylee Hershberger and McKenna Myers each tallied a hit. Grace Renschen shouldered the pitching loss after going 3.1 innings. Mandi Hettinger closed out the final 2.2 innings and tallied a pair of strikeouts.
In the contest against Marian, the Sabres plated a two-out run on a double for an early 1-0 lead. Saint Mary's responded right back in the bottom half of the inning. McKenna Shoupe led off with an infield single, and Mandi Hettinger drew a walk. A fly out by Rylee Hersberger allowed Shoupe to tag up from second to third, and Hettinger stole second to put two runners into scoring position. Caitlin Traxler pulled a ground ball to the second baseman on a fielder's choice that allowed Shoupe to score. McKenna Myers then drove in Hettinger with a two-out double for a 2-1 lead for the Belles.
The defense worked out of a jam in the top of the third inning. The Sabres had a lead-off double followed by an infield groundout to put the tying run on third. The next batter flew out to Shoupe in center field, and the sophomore cut down the runner trying to score as Natalie Quinlan applied the tag at the plate to end the inning.
The Belles had a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the fourth after Alexis Rauch hit a one-out double to the right-center gap. The freshman advanced to third on an infield ground out, but Saint Mary's was unable to get the run across as the game moved on. The defense came up big again for the Belles in the top of the sixth. A one-out single was followed by a Marian double to put two runners into scoring position with one out. The next batter hit a grounder to Anna Gruber at third, and the sophomore came home with the throw as the Belles cut down another runner at the plate. Libby Bierbaum then shut the door with a strikeout looking to bring Saint Mary's up to bat. Caitlin Traxler led off the bottom of the sixth with a single, and Bierbaum tried to help her own cause with a double to right-center for a pair of runners in scoring position. An infield pop up put a stop to the scoring chance to move the game to the seventh inning.
Marian led off the seventh with a single before a flyout and a force out at second put two outs on the scoreboard. The Sabres, however, reversed the momentum with a two-out, two-run home run for a 3-2 lead. A lineout two batters later ended the top half of the inning as the Belles tried to regain the momentum and find the tying run, but the Saint Mary's side was retired in order in the 3-2 final.
McKenna Shoupe and Mandi Hettinger each had a hit, a run, and drew a walk. Caitlin Traxler, Alexis Rauch, and Libby Bierbaum added a double apiece. McKenna Myers registered a hit and an RBI, and Traxler picked up an RBI. Bierbaum went the distance in the circle for the Belles, striking out three and surrendering no walks in seven innings of work.
The Belles (0-5) have a day off from competition on Wednesday and return to the field on Thursday for games against Heidelberg and Mount Union starting at 3:15 p.m.