NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's softball team came up short in 6-1 and 12-4 (5 innings) finals against Alma on Thursday afternoon.

 

Alma used a sacrifice fly in the first inning of the opener to gain a quick lead against the Belles. Mac Pepper hit a tailing double into the outfield which eluded the diving efforts of the Scots' center fielder in the bottom half of the inning. Back-to-back outs ended the chance and left Pepper stranded at second. 

 

The Scots got a run in the fourth, but the Belles limited Alma to just one run with a tough play at the plate followed by a strikeout to strand a pair. Alma, however, plated three runs in the top of the fifth and added another in the sixth for a 6-0 advantage. McKenna Shoupe and Mac Pepper both beat out infield singles, and an unusual play on a foul pop up allowed both runners to advance 60 feet. The Belles took advantage of the error on the previous play, and Libby Bierbaum drove in Shoupe to get Saint Mary's on the scoreboard. A fly out to right field in the next at-bat left Pepper at third to end the inning. Saint Mary's made quick work of the Scots in the seventh, but the Belles could not put together the late-inning rally as they were retired in order to close the 6-1 final.

 

Mac Pepper went 2-for-3 in game one. McKenna Shoupe had a hit and scored a run, McKenna Myers added a hit, and Libby Bierbaum drove in a run. Bierbaum shouldered the loss in the circle after going the distance with four strikeouts. Rylee Hershberger made a one-hop play at third, McKenna Myers collected a diving grab for a web gem out, and the Saint Mary's defense forced Alma into leaving two runners on base in the third.

 

Saint Mary's got on the scoreboard first in game two. McKenna Myers led the inning off with a single, and Rylee Hershberger laced a single to right-center field to put runners at the corners. Sam Mikitka then drove in Myers with a sacrifice fly for the 1-0 lead. Alma countered with a four-run spurt in the bottom of the second inning, but the Belles came right back in the top of the third. Mac Pepper singled, Caitlin Traxler walked, and Libby Bierbaum drove a single the opposite way to push Pepper across home as  Traxler moved to third. McKenna Myers punched a single through the left side to drive in Traxler, and Alexis Rauch loaded the bases with a walk. Two batters later, Sam Mikitka hit a single to right field to drive in Bierbaum to knot the game at 4-4. Back-to-back outs forced the Belles into leaving potential go-ahead runs on base as the game moved to the bottom of the third.

 

Alma quickly got momentum back with a lead-off solo home run. A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch plate appearance drove in another run, and the Scots tacked on four more runs over the course of the third to make it a 10-4 game. 

 

The Belles stirred the pot in the fourth after back-to-back walks by Mac Pepper and Caitlin Traxler started the inning. A double play by the Alma defense and an infield pop up cut down the scoring chance for the Belles before they could plate a run. Alma added a run in the bottom of the fourth for an 11-4 lead, but the Belles again tried to chip away at the deficit. Rylee Hershberger hit a one-out double to center field and moved up to third on an infield out. A strikeout ended the chance as the game moved onward. The Scots capitalized on an error and used a one-out single to drive in a run to end the game  by the eight-run rule in a 12-4 final.

 

McKenna Myers was 2-for-3 in game two with an RBI and a run. Rylee Hershberger went 2-for-3 with a double. Libby Bierbaum posted a 1-for-3 effort with an RBI and a run. Sam Mikitka had a hit with two RBIs, and Mac Pepper had a hit, a walk, and scored once. Caitlin Traxler drew three walks and scored a run for the Belles. Traxler suffered the pitching loss in relief after going 1.2 innings. Sam Mikitka had a no-decision in the start with 1.1 innings of work, and Libby Bierbaum closed out the final 1.1 innings of the game. 

 

The Belles (7-21, 2-8 MIAA) are set to travel to Trine on Saturday for a league doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.