WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Saint Mary's softball team bounced back from a 10-7 loss against Ramapo to defeat Minnesota-Morris 9-1 in six innings on Monday.

Caitlin Traxler put the Belles on the scoreboard in the top of the first against Ramapo with a two-out solo home run for the quick 1-0 advantage. Ramapo responded with a run in the bottom of the first and plated four runs in the bottom of the second to pull ahead 5-1. The Belles answered in the top of the third. Mac Pepper was hit by a pitch, Rylee Hershberger drew a walk, and Caitlin Traxler belted her second homer of the game to make it a 5-4 game.

 

The Roadrunners, however, regained momentum with a two-run third inning and a one-run fourth for a 7-4 lead. Saint Mary's had a chance to cut into the deficit in the fifth inning. Pepper drew a lead-off walk, and Hershberger laced a single to right field. Traxler drew a walk to load the bases with no outs, but a double play by Ramapo followed by an infield pop up ended the scoring chance. The Roadrunners pushed two more runs across in the bottom of the sixth to gain a 10-4 lead.

 

Down to their last at-bats, the Belles looked to put together a late rally. Pepper and Hershberger again started things off by earning back-to-back walks. Caitlin Traxler's bat continued to be hot with a double to center field to plate Pepper. Alexis Rauch was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no one out. An infield fielder's choice off the bat of McKenna Myers saw everyone advance safely as Hershberger came in to score on the play. The Roadrunners got a force out at home, but a fielding error on a ball hit by Mandi Hettinger pushed Alexis Rauch across to make it a 10-7 score. The comeback fell short for the Belles with back-to-back outs to end the game.

 

Caitlin Traxler went 3-for-3 with single-game career-highs of five RBIs and two home runs to go along with a double and a walk. Rylee Hershberger and Mac Pepper each drew two walks and scored two runs. Hershberger collected a hit, and Alexis Rauch had a hit and scored a run. McKenna Myers and Mandi Hettinger drove in a run each. Libby Bierbaum also drew two walks in the game. Libby Bierbaum shouldered the loss in the circle in a complete-game effort.

 

In the contest against Minnesota Morris, the Belles forced the Cougars into stranding a runner at third in the top of the first inning. In the bottom half of the frame, Caitlin Traxler got on base via a fielder's choice and scored on a single by Alexis Rauch for the 1-0 lead. Minnesota Morris plated an unearned run in the top of the second, but the Belles responded with two runs of their own. McKenna Myers hit a lead-off single, and Mandi Hettinger added a single of her own. The pair moved up on a wild pitch, and Sam Mikitka drove in Myers with a ground out to second. McKenna Shoupe then sent Hettinger home with a single through the right side.

 

The Belles added three more runs in the bottom of the third. Rylee Hershberger had a lead-off double, and Traxler added a single. A delayed steal moved Traxler into scoring position, and a wild pitch allowed Hershberger to score with Traxler moving to third. Myers drove in Traxler two batters later, and Libby Bierbaum used a single up the middle to plate Myers for a 6-1 lead. The score remained unchanged until the bottom of the sixth. The Belles retired the Cougars in order in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings before a three-run sixth ended the game. Hettinger and Mikitka each hit a single, and a walk by Sophie Allen loaded the bases. A fielder's choice by Hershberger saw Hettinger out at home on the force out, but Mikitka scored on an error on a play off a ball hit by Traxler. Alexis Rauch then drove in Allen and Hershberger to end the game 9-1 by the eight-run rule.

 

Mandi Hettinger went 3-for-3 at the plate in the win with a run scored. Rylee Hershberger, Alexis Rauch, McKenna Myers, and McKenna Shoupe all collected two hits for the Belles. Hershberger and Rauch had a double each while Hershberger scored a pair. Rauch drove in three runs. Caitlin Traxler and Myers each scored twice. Sam Mikitka earned her first collegiate pitching win after going all six innings in the circle and allowed just two hits, no earned runs, and no extra-base hits in the victory.

 

The Belles (1-3) are back on the field on Tuesday when they face Lasell and Cornell College at 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., respectively.