Photo courtesy of Dan Horan.
Posted: Apr 22, 2023
ADRIAN, Mich. - The Saint Mary's softball team came up just short in a 2-1 (8 innings) final in game one and an 11-9 (8 innings) game two at Adrian on Saturday.
The Belles forced the Bulldogs into stranding a runner on third in the bottom of the first inning of the opener. McKenna Myers reached on a one-out single in the top of the second, and Rylee Hershberger hit a two-out infield single to put runners on the corners. A line drive out ended the inning and the chance early for Saint Mary's. The Belles' defense retired the Adrian side in order in the second, but the Bulldogs broke through with a home run in the bottom of the third for a 1-0 lead.
Saint Mary's stirred the pot in the fourth with Caitlin Traxler and McKenna Myers each lacing singles before back-to-back outs forced the Belles to put the bats down without a run. The defense again retired Adrian in order in the fourth. The Belles put together a two-out rally in the top of the fifth inning. McKenna Shoupe got things started with a single and stole second base. Mac Pepper reached on an error, which also allowed Shoupe to advance to third on the play. Caitlin Traxler then dropped a single to left field to drive in Shoupe and knot the game at 1-1.
The defense stood tall yet again in the bottom of the fifth. The Bulldogs had a one-out single and tried to score on a single to center field with two outs, but McKenna Shoupe came up firing and cut the runner down at the plate trying to score to end the inning. Each side put a runner on first in the sixth but did not advance either runner any further. After the Belles were retired in the seventh, Alexis Rauch made a diving play in foul territory to record the first out of the bottom of the inning and collected a pop up to record two quick outs. Libby Bierbaum then induced a slow comeback ground out to send the game to an extra inning. The Belles were retired in order, and the Bulldogs used a walk, a hit, an error, and a walk-off single to take a 2-1 decision in the opener.
Saint Mary's stirred the pot in the fourth with Caitlin Traxler and McKenna Myers each lacing singles before back-to-back outs forced the Belles to put the bats down without a run. The defense again retired Adrian in order in the fourth. The Belles put together a two-out rally in the top of the fifth inning. McKenna Shoupe got things started with a single and stole second base. Mac Pepper reached on an error, which also allowed Shoupe to advance to third on the play. Caitlin Traxler then dropped a single to left field to drive in Shoupe and knot the game at 1-1.
The defense stood tall yet again in the bottom of the fifth. The Bulldogs had a one-out single and tried to score on a single to center field with two outs, but McKenna Shoupe came up firing and cut the runner down at the plate trying to score to end the inning. Each side put a runner on first in the sixth but did not advance either runner any further. After the Belles were retired in the seventh, Alexis Rauch made a diving play in foul territory to record the first out of the bottom of the inning and collected a pop up to record two quick outs. Libby Bierbaum then induced a slow comeback ground out to send the game to an extra inning. The Belles were retired in order, and the Bulldogs used a walk, a hit, an error, and a walk-off single to take a 2-1 decision in the opener.
Caitlin Traxler went 2-for-4 in game one with an RBI. Rylee Hershberger and McKenna Myers each collected two hits, and McKenna Shoupe posted a hit and scored a run. Libby Bierbaum shouldered the setback in the circle after going seven-plus innings with two strikeouts and one earned run.
The Bulldogs pushed an unearned run across in the top of the first inning of game two. The defense got a big stop in the top of the second after Adrian put runners at second and third with no outs. Libby Bierbaum tagged out the runner on third, and Caitlin Traxler tallied a strikeout before inducing a comeback grounder and getting the force out at first to end the threat.
Adrian plated two runs in the top of the third to go up 3-0. The Belles left a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the third inning after Sam Mikitka and Mac Pepper each singled but were left on the corners. The Bulldogs plated two more runs in the fourth for a 5-0 lead. McKenna Myers hit a one-out single to left field, and Alexis Rauch used a sacrifice to move Myers into scoring position in the bottom of the fourth before a ground out to the pitcher ended the scoring chance.
The Bulldogs tacked on two runs in the top of the fifth to gain an 8-0 lead as the Belles needed at least one run to keep the game going. In the bottom of the inning, Maddie James got things going by being hit by a pitch. McKenna Shoupe and Mac Pepper each drew a walk, and Caitlin Traxler delivered a one-out grand slam to plate four runs and cut the deficit in half. Libby Bierbaum kept things going with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before McKenna Myers drew a walk to put a pair on board, and Alexis Rauch hit a double to center field to push both Bierbaum and Myers across to make it an 8-6 game.
Adrian used a two-out double to take a 9-6 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but the Belles came right back in their next at-bats. Mac Pepper reached first with a two-out walk, and Traxler added another big hit with an RBI double to left field to cut the deficit back to two runs. Saint Mary's retired the Bulldogs in order in the top of the seventh. McKenna Myers then led off the bottom of the inning with a home run to make it 9-8. Rylee Hershberger reached first on an error, and Sam Mikita drove her in with one out gone to knot the game at 9-9. Saint Mary's was unable to push across the plate as game two moved into the eighth inning.
The Bulldogs used a lead-off walk and a two-run home run to gain an 11-9 lead before the Belles retired the next three batters in-a-row. The Belles looked to rally once again in the bottom of the eighth. Caitlin Traxler hit a one-out single, and Libby Bierbaum safely reached base on an error to put the potential tying run on base. A double play by Adrian, however, cut the rally short in an 11-9 final.
Caitlin Traxler went 3-for-5 with a grand slam, a double, and five RBIs and a run. McKenna Myers added a 2-for-4 effort with a home run, two runs, an RBI, and a walk. Sam Mikitka was 2-for-4 in game two with an RBI, and Alexis Rauch was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Libby Bierbaum had a hit and scored a run. McKenna Shoupe, Rylee Hershberger, and Maddie James each scored a run. Traxler went 4.0 innings in the circle and struck out three, and Sam Mikitka went four complete with a strikeout.
The Belles (7-19) have postponed Sunday's doubleheader against Elmhurst and are next schedule to play on Tuesday, April 25 when they travel to Wheaton for a doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m. CDT.