NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's softball team took a 4-2 win in game one but fell short in an 8-4 final in game two against Hope on Monday afternoon.

 

Key defensive stops in the opener were the standard for the Belles. In the top of the second, Hope put two runners on base with one out gone before loading the bases with two outs. McKenna Myers picked up a grounder on her glove side and flipped the ball over to Caitlin Traxler at second to end the inning. The Flying Dutch put a runner on third with one out in the top of the third before an out called by the home plate umpire saw a Hope batter called out at the plate before a fly out to center field shut the door on the Dutch.

 

The Belles broke through in the bottom of the third. Maddie James dropped a double down the left field line, and a Mac Pepper ground out allowed James to move to third. McKenna Shoupe then drove in James easily with a deep sacrifice fly to center field. 

 

The defense stood tall again in the fourth. With runners at second and third with two outs gone, Libby Bierbaum induced a fly out to Mac Pepper in right field to keep Hope off the scoreboard. The offense picked right up where they had left off as McKenna Myers, Alexis Rauch, and Sam Mikitka hit back-to-back-to-back doubles to plate two more runs for the 3-0 lead. 

 

Hope loaded the bases with no one out in the top of the fifth. A sacrifice fly put the Flying Dutch into the scoring column, but consecutive plays by McKenna Myers to get force outs at third limited the Hope offense to just one run. The Flying Dutch made it a one-run game with a run in the top of the sixth before the Belles cut down a runner between first and second to end the inning. McKenna Myers then led off the sixth with a single, and Alexis Rauch put down a sacrifice bunt to move Myers to second. A flyout by Sam Mikitka again advanced Myers, and a passed ball saw Myers dive into home safely for a 4-2 lead. Libby Bierbaum then capped off a solid pitching outing with a fly out, a strikeout, and a shallow pop up to right field to close out the 4-2 win.

 

McKenna Myers went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in the opener. Rylee Hershberger, Alexis Rauch, Sam Mikitka, and Maddie James each added a double, and Rauch and Mikitka each picked up an RBI. McKenna Shoupe drove in a run, and Rauch and Maddie James scored a run apiece. Libby Bierbaum earned the complete-game win after scattering nine hits over seven innings with three strikeouts.

 

Hope struck in the bottom of the second inning with a pair of runs despite Saint Mary's cutting down a runner in a play at the plate that saw a successful relay from Maddie James to Caitlin Traxler to Calla Blank.

 

The Belles cut the deficit to one run with a run in the top of the third. Maddie James dropped a single up the middle before a come-back ball hit by McKenna Shoupe to the Flying Dutch pitcher resulted in an error to try to get James out at second. The error led to James ending up on third while Shoupe stood at second with one out gone. Mac Pepper bounced a ground out to the right side of the field as James scored easily on the play to make it a 2-1 game. After Hope stranded a runner in the bottom of the third, the Belles came right back with another run in the fourth. Libby Bierbaum led off with a double to left-center field and advanced to third on a ground out. McKenna Myers then had a hit that had been destined for right field before it barely grazed off of the diving Hope first baseman's glove, which allowed Bierbaum to score to knot the game at 2-2. 

 

Hope plated a pair in the bottom of the fourth, but the Belles again had an answer in the top half of the fifth. Maddie James and Mac Pepper each drew a walk. Caitlin Traxler then drove a double to the right-center gap to push both runners across home to make it 4-4. The Flying Dutch, however, countered with four unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth to go ahead 8-4. Saint Mary's was retired in order in the sixth. McKenna Shoupe then was hit by a pitch in the top of the seventh and advanced all the way to third, but the comeback effort was stopped short in the 8-4 final.

 

Mac Pepper was 1-for-3 with a walk, a run, and an RBI. Libby Bierbaum went 1-for-3 with a double and a run. Caitlin Traxler added a 1-for-4 effort with a double and two RBIs. McKenna Myers collected a hit and an RBI. Maddie James was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and a walk. Traxler went the distance in the circle and shouldered the loss despite allowing only three earned runs with a pair of strikeouts.

 

The Belles (7-13, 2-2 MIAA) are set to host Kalamazoo on Saturday for a conference doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.