ST. JOSEPH, MO – Despite Taylor Lara's best performance of the year and multi-hit games by Rebekkah Keller and Taylor Mendez, the University of Mary softball team suffered a pair of losses on the opening day of the Hy-Vee Classic. The Marauders allowed runs in just three innings over two games but fell 8-1 in the opener to Washburn University before Fort Hays State University nipped Mary 1-0 in the second game.
 
Big innings to start and end the game for Washburn carried the Ichabods to an 8-1 win over Mary in the first game of the day, scoring five runs in the first and three in the seventh.
 
The Ichabods stunned the Marauders in the top of the first inning of the opening game, providing Washburn all the runs they needed. Mary allowed the first hitter of the game to reach on an error. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk, Savannah Jones cracked a three-run home run to jump start the Ichabods attack. Washburn tacked on two more runs to leave Mary in a 5-0 hole in the first.
 
Four straight singles by Colleen Crutchfield, Hannah Holtz, Madison McGonigal and Madison Jahner produced the Marauders lone run of the game in the second inning. Crutchfield scored on Jahnner's one-out single up the middle. The opportunity for a big inning ended on a popup to the infield and a tapper back to the pitcher.
 
Mary managed just two more hits the rest of the game, singles by Keller in the third and the seventh. The Marauders threatened to score twice more, loading the bases in the third and adding a pair of base runners in the fourth, but couldn't manage to push across another run.
 
Washburn sealed its win with three runs in the seventh.
 
Despite pitching five straight scoreless innings in the middle of the game, Brieann Backes was saddled with the loss. The sophomore allowed six earned runs. Lara pitched one scoreless inning, striking out two and allowing one hit after coming on in relief.
 
Keller finished 2-for-4 for Mary.
 
Kelsee Henry earned the win for Washburn, allowing five hits and one run in six innings. Lacie Myers, Taylor Kemp and Lexie Myers all had two hits.
 
Lara locked up with Fort Hays State hurler Carrie Clarke for a pitcher's duel in game two, a 1-0 Tigers win that took just 67 minutes to play. The Marauders outhit the Tigers 5-4 but couldn't plate a run.
 
Keller continued her hot day at the plate with a first-inning single but only advanced as far as second base.
 
The Tigers scored the game's lone run in the second on a two-out single by Collette West to score Candace Bollig.
Mary's best opportunity to score came in the fourth inning as Mendez and Crutchfield led off with back-to-back singles. Back-to-back grounders to short eliminated both Mendez and Crutchfield at third before a grounder to Clarke closed the Marauders threat.
 
Mendez added a one-out single in the sixth. Mary's final baserunner in the game was eliminated attempting to steal second to end the inning.
 
Lara allowed four hits in six innings, walking two and striking out one. Mendez was 2-for-3 at the plate.
 
Clarke struck out one batter, allowed five hits, no walks and no runs in seven innings.
 
The Marauders (5-16 overall) next face Pittsburg State and Nebraska Kearney on March 18, the second day of the Hy-Vee Classic.
 
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