GAME ONE BOX   /   GAME TWO BOX

Bismarck, ND – The storyline could not have been more perfect for the University of Mary softball team. On a day highlighted by the dedication of a new scoreboard, the Marauders opened their 2012 home schedule by sweeping Wayne State College in the first Northern Sun games of the season. U-Mary began the day with a 3-1 win in the opener and closed with a 4-3 victory to extend the Marauders winning streak to seven games.
 
Starting pitchers Erin Keen and Emily Sinclair each pitched 6.2 innings in their starts to pick up wins for U-Mary. After each pitcher found themselves in danger at the end of the game, Rachel Davis recorded the final out in each contest to pick up her first two saves of the season.
 
The family of Harlow Hageness was on hand to dedicate a scoreboard donated to the Marauders in his name. It was fitting that the first run scored was by his granddaughter, Brooke Hageness.
 
The Marauders senior right fielder led off the third inning with a single to right and advanced to second on an infield single by Jenna Button. Jessica Alvarado followed with a base hit to score Hageness with the first run of the day. A fly ball to deep center field by Desi Smith then scored Button when center fielder Kassie Nurton dropped the ball.
 
Kaiti Williams cut the Marauders lead in half when she homered for the Wildcats in the fourth inning. U-Mary regained its two-run cushion in the fifth when Smith blasted her first home run of the season over the center field fence for a 3-1 Marauders advantage.
 
A freshman from Boise, ID, Keen was on a roll and retired the first two Wildcats hitters in the seventh. Three straight hits by Wayne State would force U-Mary to bring in Davis, who retired the first batter she faced on a grounder to second.
 
Seven different players had hits for the Marauders, who held a 7-5 hits advantage over the Wildcats in game one.

Keen allowed all five hits and one run, issued five walks and struck out six to improve her season mark to 4-2.
 

The Wildcats jumped in front early in the second game when Kelcie Bormann led off the second inning with a home run. The Marauders wasted no time evening the score. Calie Brown led off the bottom of the inning with a single and would score on a two-out hit by Hageness.
 
Allison Brown kicked off a two-run third inning for the Marauders with a one-out double down the left field line. Melissa Gonzalez would single Brown to third before moving into scoring position with a delayed steal of second. Callie Brown pushed U-Mary in front with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Allison Brown. A two-out run-scoring single by Sami Antolin to score Gonzalez would push the U-Mary lead to 3-1.
 
A run-scoring double by Smith in the fourth, driving home Alvarado, increased the Marauders lead to 4-1 and U-Mary would need the full cushion.
 
Wayne State touched Sinclair for a run in the fifth and closed with 4-3 in the seventh on a two-out home run by Vicki Nielsen. Two more hits by the Wildcats followed and Davis was once again summoned from the bullpen. After awarding a walk to load the bases, Davis earned her second save of the day when Aeriell Earleywine lined out to Button in left field for the final out of the day.
 
Sinclair was dominant at times in the game as all 10 of her strikeouts came in the first five innings. The senior improved to 6-2 after allowing two earned runs, nine hits and two walks in 6.2 innings. It was the first time she hadn't thrown a complete game in eight starts.
 
Button led the Marauders with two hits. Every other U-Mary player had one hit in the game. Nielsen, Bormann and Earleywine each had two hits for Wayne State.
 
U-Mary improves to 11-6 overall and 2-0 in the NSIC. Wayne State is 12-10 and 0-2.
 
The Marauders continue their home stand with two games against #22 Augustana on Sunday, March 25, at 12 noon.
 
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