Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4 WEST ST. PAUL, Minn.—The University of Mary softball team concluded its trip to the Minnesota Duluth Invitational by winning three of four games Monday. U-Mary opened with a 10-3 win over Minnesota Duluth, won 11-3 against Lincoln in a game suspended from yesterday, beat Lincoln again 8-1 before eventually falling 2-1 to Minot State.
 
U-Mary 10 UMD 3
 
Behind a seventh inning offensive explosion, U-Mary (5-5) defeated Minnesota Duluth (8-5) 10-3 in the opening game of the day at the Minnesota Duluth Invitational.
 
Tied 3-3 heading to the seventh, the Marauders scored seven runs on five hits and took advantage of one Bulldogs error.
 
Freshman Amber Gamboa was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, drew a walk and scored a run. Julissa Perales went 3-for-4, including a double, and had two RBI.
 
Catcher Ashley Lewis had two of the Bulldogs four hits in the game going 2-for-2 with a home run.
 
U-Mary pounded out a season-high 16 hits, including three extra base hits.
 
The Marauders jumped ahead in the first inning as Allison Brown led off the game with a triple down the right field line. Brown scored on an error on the following at bat. With two outs and the bases loaded, Taylor Mendez drew a walk and Gamboa and Perales followed with singles to put U-Mary up 2-0.
 
With UMD scoreless in the first inning, both teams scored a run in the second. The Marauders scored on an RBI single by Brown and the Bulldogs on a solo home run.
 
UMD took advantage of a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth as it rallied to tie the game at 3-3.
 
With neither team scoring in the fifth or sixth, the game was tied heading into the seventh.
 
U-Mary took advantage of a leadoff error by UMD as Kristin Orsmby came around to score on a one-out sacrifice fly by Perales. The Marauders added six runs with two outs including a two RBI double to left by Demaree Rodriguez.
 
Cherlyn Trujillo, who started in the circle for U-Mary, shutdown UMD in the seventh striking out the first two batters, before inducing a pop out to end the game. The lefty pitched all seven innings and picked up seven strikeouts.
 
Brown finished 3-for-3 with two talks, two runs and an RBI. Alana Norman, Mendez, and Rodriguez each finished with two hits and two RBI.
 
U-Mary 11 Lincoln 3
 
Picking up a game that was suspended from yesterday, U-Mary held a 7-2 lead heading into the top of the sixth against Lincoln University (2-5) as it went on to win 11-3.
 
Brown finished the game 4-for-5, with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored. Rodriguez and Ormsby each went 3-for-4. Rodriguez had two RBI and three runs scored including a solo home run.
 
Sam Kircher was 2-for-4 for Lincoln including two-run homer in the third.
 
With the game picking up in the sixth, Rodriguez got the Marauders on the board right away with a leadoff home run. U-Mary added two more in the seventh on a two RBI single by Brown.
 
Lincoln added a run in the seventh, but Melanie Rodriguez, who came in yesterday to make her season-debut, held of the Blue Tigers rally.
 
Erin Keen pitched the first three innings of the game yesterday picking up five strikeouts and allowing two runs. Rodriguez, who entered in relief, pitched the final four innings allowing just one run and striking out six.
 
U-Mary 8 Lincoln 1
 
Facing Lincoln in the team's regularly scheduled game, U-Mary scored five runs in the first two innings as it cruised to an 8-1 win.
 
Keen got the nod for the Marauders going seven strong and picking up nine strikeouts, while allowing just two hits and zero earned runs.
 
Offensively Mendez stole the show going 4-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.
 
The Marauders had 13 hits to the Blue Tigers two.
 
Brown set the table in the first inning with a leadoff walk. Norman followed with a single and was driven in by Mendez who singled to center. Gamboa followed with a two RBI double to put the Marauders ahead 3-0.
 
U-Mary added two more runs in the second inning as Ormsby hit a two run shot to left center to score Brown who singled. A solo shot by Perales in the fifth built the Marauders lead 6-0.
 
The Marauders added two insurance runs in the seventh as Mendez homered to right to score Ormsby who singled. Lincoln scored a run in the bottom of the seventh taking advantage of a U-Mary error.
 
Brown, Norman, Ormsby and Gamboa each finished with two hits. Both of Gamboa's hits were doubles.
 
U-Mary 1 Minot St. 2
 
In the final game of the day U-Mary held the lead going into the seventh, but fell to Minot State (4-5) 2-1. The Beavers rallied in the seventh with one out to score two runs on three hits.
 
Rodriguez was 2-for-3 for the Marauders with a home run.
 
Going 2-for-4, Ali Cygan delivered the deciding hit with a two RBI single for the Beavers.
 
Despite registering 11 hits, U-Mary was only able to score one run.
 
The Marauders threatened in the second inning picking up three, two out hits. Rodriguez reached on an infield single and Trujillo followed with a single down the left field line. Keen followed with a single to right, but Rodriguez was held at third. Brown hit into a fielder's choice with bases loaded to end the threat.
 
With two outs in the fourth, Rodriguez homered to give the Marauders a 1-0 lead.
 
Both teams were held scoreless in the fifth and the sixth, before the Beavers broke through in the seventh. With one out, MSU singled and reached on a hit by pitch. After a sacrifice bunt, Cygan delivered a single to center to give the Beavers a 2-1 lead.
 
Gamboa singled with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but U-Mary was unable to capitalize.
 
Brown, Norman, Trujillo and Keen each finished with two hits. Trujillo started in the circle for the Marauders pitching seven innings and striking out nine.
 
Wrapping Up
 
U-Mary finished the Minnesota Duluth Invitational with a 4-1 record. The Marauders offense came alive hitting .408 with seven home runs and scoring 35 runs. Stealing just 27 bases all of last season, U-Mary swiped 17 bases in five games. Brown finished the tournament going 12-for-18 with three walks and seven runs scored. Keen pitched 10.2 innings and struck out 14, while, maintaining a 1.31 ERA and a .135 opponent's batting average.
 
Up Next
 
The Marauders will next be in action as they participate in the Dot Richardson Spring Games in Clermont, Fla. Beginning with Quincy University, U-Mary will play 14 games in 10 days from March 1-9.
 
#marauders#