BISMARCK, ND – Looking for a sweep to stay in the middle of the Northern Sun playoff hunt, the University of Mary softball team captured both games against the University of Minnesota Crookston. The Marauders ran away with the opener 10-2 before rallying past the Golden Eagles 8-7 in eight innings after seeing a six-run lead slip away.
Amber Gamboa drove in five runs in the opener and tied for the team lead with three hits in UMary's 10-2 first-game win.
Presented with an opportunity to grab an immediate lead, Gamboa singled home
Rebekkah Keller with the lone run of the first inning. After the Golden Eagles knotted the game 1-1 in the top of the second, the Marauders exploded for four runs in the bottom of two. With the Marauders leading 2-1 on a run-scoring groundout by
Hannah Holtz to take a 2-1 lead, Gamboa singled up the middle to score two runs. A
Kylie Alto single to left increased the Marauders advantage to 5-1.
UMary sealed the contest with two more runs in the fifth. After UMC's Gabby Antolak homered in the sixth, the Marauders closed out the first game early with three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Stephanie Alvarez was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Keller went 3-for-5, scored once and drove in a run. Alto and
Lex Hubbard both had a pair of hits with Hubbard scored twice.
Taylor Mendez doubled and scored twice.
Brieann Backes pitched a six-inning complete game, allowing four hits and two runs. She struck out five.
The Marauders continued their offensive onslaught into the second game. Behind a two-run single from Mendez and Alto's three-run home run, UMary jumped out to a 5-0 lead.
Taylor Lara singled home a run in the fourth to push the Marauders advantage to 6-0.
Suddenly the game changed. Behind a pair of hits and a pair of Marauders errors, the Golden Eagles scored twice in the fifth. Holding a seemingly comfortable 6-2 lead entering the seventh, UMary self-destructed, committing three errors and allowing four unearned runs to force extra innings. Antolak had the big blow, driving in two runs with a single.
One more UMary error in the eighth provided UMC its first lead of the day at 7-6.
The scales balanced out in the home half of the eighth.
Colleen Crutchfield led off with a single and Alto reached on an error. An error on a ball hit by Alvarez resulted in an out when Crutchfield was thrown out at home attempting to score from second. Down to their last out,
Taylor Lara singled home Alto with the tying run. Keller then put the Marauders in the win column with a single to score pinch-runner Backes to seal the wild win.
Alto drove in three runs and scored twice. Lara had two hits and drove in two runs. Mendez posted two hits and had two RBIs. Crutchfield also had two hits.
Lara also pitched 6.1 innings. All six runs she allowed were unearned.
Madison Jahner picked up the win with 1.2 innings of relief, allowing one unearned run.
The Marauders improve to 16-29 overall and 10-10 in the Northern Sun. UMary is tied for ninth overall with two weekends left to play. The top ten teams qualify for the post-season tournament. Minnesota Crookston is 11-30 and 1-18.
UMary next visits Winona State and Upper Iowa on April 22-23.
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