ST. CLOUD, MN – Stifled offensively for much of the day, the University of Mary softball team suffered a pair of narrow defeats at St. Cloud State University. The Huskies opened with a 1-0 victory over the Marauders and followed with a 6-4 win.
Brieann Backes was outstanding in the circle for the Marauders, allowing just one run in the first inning. With one out, Jessica Goerger doubled home Abby Bunnell. After an infield hit, Backes returned the next two batters and kept the Huskies from crossing the plate the rest of the game.
The one run was all Huskies hurler Megan Hedstrom needed as she fired a perfect game. She retired all 21 Mary hitters she faced, striking out four and inducing 16 ground ball outs. Only one Marauders hitter flew out in the contest.
After allowing three hits in the opening inning, Backes gave up just five more hits the rest of the game. She struck out two and walked one while throwing her second complete game of the week.
Both offenses found their footing in the second game. After a scoreless opening inning, the Huskies posted four runs in the second. Bunnell provided the big blow, cracking a bases-loaded triple before scoring on a ground out.
After stranding a pair of runners in scoring position in the fourth inning, Mary crossed the plate four times in the fifth to tie the game. An infield single by
Rebekkah Keller scored
Taylor Lara with the first run before
Taylor Mendez ripped a run-scoring single to center to plate
Madison McGonigal.
Colleen Crutchfield followed with a 2-run double to left center to knot the game 4-4.
Immediately the Huskies responded in the bottom of the fifth with Goerger driving in two runs with a single to right center to push SCSU in front 6-4.
After Mary touched Hedstrom for two of the runs in the fifth, the Huskies hurler regained her focus and retired six of the seven Marauders hitters in the final two innings, picking up her second win of the day in relief.
Crutchfield led the Marauders with two hits in the night cap, ripping two doubles and driving in two runs. Five other Marauders also had hits.
Madison Jahner retired five of the six batters she faced, allowing just one walk in 1.2 innings of relief.
Bunnell was 3-for-4 for SCSU, scoring twice and driving in three runs.
The Marauders return home for a midweek game against Bemidji State.
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