CLERMONT, Fla. - On the final day of action for their Spring Break trip to Florida, the University of Mary Softball team faced their toughest tests of the Dot Richardson Spring Games when they took on the University of Indianapolis and Kutztown University.
 
Both opponents are perennial contenders in the NCAA Division II Championships as both teams are only two years removed from their last Super Regionals tournament with U-Indy falling to Grand Valley State University in 2013 and Kutztown falling to the University of Central Oklahoma in the Softball Championships back in 2013.
 
U-Mary (11-15) fell behind early to the Greyhounds (10-4) and the comeback effort ended up short of the fence in a 13-7 loss, but the Marauders came out firing against the Golden Bears (8-2), earning the 4-0 victory and ending Kutztown's seven-game winning streak.
 
The Greyhounds scored 12 of their 13 runs in the first three innings of the game off 11 hits as they threatened to end it early, but the Marauders responded with a seven-run outburst over the final four innings off 10 hits, outscoring U-Indy 7-1 and holding them to three hits to keep the game interesting, demonstrating the resiliency needed for great teams to excel.
 
The Marauders finally got on the board in the fourth inning when, with two outs, Taylor Mendez was hit by a pitch, Nena Dudley drew a walk, and Nicole O'Haver earned a free pass to first base as well with a walk. Amber Gamboa brought Mendez and Dudley in with an RBI single to centerfield, putting the score at 12-2. During the next at bat, Gamboa took off for second base in a delayed steal and drew the throw from the catcher, allowing O'Haver to score to cut the lead down to 12-3, but the inning was ended after Gamboa was tagged out.
 
The Greyhounds got one back in the fourth inning when an groundball to the shortstop allowed a runner to come in the third, but with runners on first and third, the next batter popped into a inning-ending double play that was taken by Francine Villalobos at second base and she fired over to first base to double up on the trailing runner.
 
U-Mary got three more runs in the fifth inning, preventing the enforcement of the mercy rule, when Colleen Crutchfield led off the inning with a single through the left side of the infield, Demaree Rodriguez followed up with a single up the middle, and Alana Norman reached on a fielder's choice that got Crutchfield out at third.
 
Kristin Ormsby dropped a bunt in her at bat and both runners were able to advance a base but had to return when she was charged with violating the step-back rule that dictates the batter-runner may not move backwards when advancing up the first base line. Instead, with two outs, Julissa Perales singled up the middle to score Alexandra McDermott from second and allowing Alana Norman to get to third, Perales ended up at second after the throw out attempt on McDermott was well short. U-Mary still needed two runs to keep the game alive and they got it when Mendez singled up the middle to score both Norman and Perales, cutting into the Greyhound lead at 13-6.
 
U-Indy wasn't able to get the run that they needed in the fifth or sixth innings as the Marauders still faced a 13-6 deficit, but U-Mary got one more in the seventh when Perales sent a shot to deep right field and ended up on third base with a one-out triple. Dudley brought her home with a single through the left side but U-Mary was unable to extend the rally as they fell 13-7 to the Greyhounds.
 
With the final game of the trip up next against Kutztown, the Marauders were itching to get one more win while in Clermont, and they got it off an all-around performance that was highlight by clutch hitting, solid pitching, and a stout defense as they earned a 4-0 victory over the Golden Bears.
 
Dudley, who got the start in the circle, helped herself out in the game when she doubled down the left field line to score Perales from second base and put U-Mary up 1-0 early.
 
The game was highlighted not by offense but by defense as the Marauders got key plays from the infield, catcher included, as one critical play was made by every fielder to keep the Golden Bears at zero runs. Villalobos made some great plays with her glove when she had to take a few groundballs that were chopped high on the short hop, Mendez took a couple hard shot groundballs at shortstop, Ormsby had to throw on the run to get a runner out, Crutchfield had to hustle out from behind the plate on a couple drop bunts, and Perales took a hard line drive off the glove, but gathered herself to make the play at first as she underhanded the ball to Villalobos. Norman provided the legs in the outfield as she chased down a fly ball and some batted balls to keep the runners close to first base.
 
In the meantime, though, U-Mary added to their lead in the top of the fourth when Villalobos pinch ran for Gamboa after she doubled to left field, and eventually crossed the plate when Norman slapped a pitch to the second baseman and beat out the throw. Perales brought her big bat to the game when she sent a pitch over the left field fence to put the score at 3-0, and ended up scoring the fourth run for the Marauders when, in the seventh inning, she scored off a Dudley slap hit to third base.
 
The rest came down to Dudley in the circle and she responded from a rough outing against the Greyhounds with a complete-game shutout with seven strikeouts, only three walks and two hits given up in 27 batters faced in seven innings.
 
Perales was a perfect 4-of-4 against the Golden Bears with one home run, three runs scored and one RBI. She was also 2-of-4 against U-Indy with a triple, two runs, and one RBI.
 
Norman's hit streak ended at 24 games, surpassing her mark of 22 in the previous year as she failed to get a hit against U-Indy despite reaching on a fielder's choice and nearly beating out a throw on a slap hit, but she did go 2-of-4 against Kutztown with one RBI.
 
Dudley proved effective at the plate as well against Kutztown with three hits, two doubles, one RBI; she also got a hit with one RBI and one run against U-Indy.
 
Gamboa got two hits against Kutztown with a double to go with two hits against U-Indy with two RBI.
 
The Maraudes will have a break next week but return to action on March 24, when they begin conference play when they host Minot State University at the University of Mary Softball Field.
 
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