Taylor Mendez scores the winning run on a walk-off double by Amber Gamboa against Concordia-St. Paul on Senior Day 2017
Brian Larson
1
Concordia-St. Paul CSP 15-35, 7-22 NSIC
2
Winner University of Mary MARY 20-34, 14-15 NSIC
Concordia-St. Paul CSP
15-35, 7-22 NSIC
1
Final
2
University of Mary MARY
20-34, 14-15 NSIC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Concordia-St. Paul CSP 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 0
University of Mary MARY 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 9 0

W: Backes, Brieann (9-14) L: Sullivan, Samantha (6-16)

3
Winner Concordia-St. Paul CSP 16-35, 8-22 NSIC
1
University of Mary MARY 20-35, 14-16 NSIC
Winner
Concordia-St. Paul CSP
16-35, 8-22 NSIC
3
Final
1
University of Mary MARY
20-35, 14-16 NSIC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Concordia-St. Paul CSP 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 3 10 0
University of Mary MARY 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0

W: Heim, Linzy (10-15) L: Lara, Taylor (5-13)

Game Recap: Softball | | Brian Larson, Mary Sports Information Director

Gamboa walk-off double highlights Senior Day split on final day of season

BISMARCK, ND – Amber Gamboa blasted a walk-off double in the opening game on Senior Day but the University of Mary softball season ended earlier than hoped when a game two rally fell short. The Marauders captured the opener 2-1 before Concordia-St. Paul rebounded to win game two 3-1.
 
The Marauders fell a half-game short of qualifying for the Northern Sun tournament. UMary finished the Northern Sun season 14-16 to place 11th in the league. Northern State grabbed the tenth and final playoff slot with a record of 14-15-1. Overall UMary finished 20-35.
 
All three Marauders seniors – Gamboa, Taylor Mendez and Lex Hubbard - made major contributions in the victory over the Golden Bears.
 
With neither team able to take advantage of numerous baserunners through four scoreless innings, it looked like the Golden Bears would break through in the fifth. After a leadoff single and a walk, Justine Schattner laced a shot into short right field. Breaking on the ball as soon as it left the bat, Hubbard made a sliding grab of the sinking liner for the out. Immediately the senior regained her feet and fired a strike to shortstop Hannah Holtz covering second base to double Emily Shinn off the bag for an inning-ending double play.
 
The Marauders broke onto the scoreboard first in the bottom of the inning. Freshman Rebekkah Keller led off with a walk and moved into scoring position on a ground out. The defending NSIC Player of the Week, Mendez crushed a double to left center to easily score Keller with the first run of the game.
 
The lead didn't last long as Liz Jarosz, the leadoff hitter in the sixth inning, drove her 15th home run of the season over the right center wall to knot the game 1-1.
 
Mendez and Gamboa, both two-time all-conference players, took over the game in the seventh. With two outs, Mendez worked out a walk. Able to run on contact, Mendez didn't hesitate when Gamboa drove a 3-1 delivery to deep right center, scoring the winning run easily from first to keep the Marauders postseason hopes alive.
 
Colleen Crutchfield led the Marauders with three hits. Mendez had one hit, scored a run and drove in a run. Gamboa had one hit and an RBI.
 
Brieann Backes picked up her tenth win of the season, allowing one run on eight hits and three walks in seven innings. She struck out three.
 
Haley Schanks, Elena Koncar and Shinn all had two hits for Concordia.
 
Game two followed the same structure as the opener through the first five innings, though neither team had many scoring opportunities as the Golden Bears stranded four runners and the Marauders three.
 
The game broke the Golden Bears way in the sixth. After back-to-back singles to open the inning, left fielder Madison Jahner and pitcher Taylor Lara switched spots. Immediately Jahner was greeted by a single up the middle by Schanks but Keller gunned out Schattner at the plate for the first out. With both baserunners in scoring position after taking the extra base on the throw home, pitcher Linzy Heim drove home the first run of the game on a single to left. A sacrifice fly down the left field line in foul territory by Sarah Kvisto added another run for a 2-0 Golden Bears lead.
 
Down to their last six outs, Keller slapped a leadoff single to left to open the home half of the inning. After a groundout and a wild pitch moved the freshman to third, Mendez was hit by a pitch to place runners on the corners. Gamboa immediately came through with a soft liner to center to score UMary's speedy centerfielder and pull the Marauders within 2-1. Heim then settled down to retire the next two hitters and preserve the Concordia advantage.
 
Now on a roll, the Golden Bears doubled their advantage to 3-1 in the seventh on a run-scoring single by Jarosz.
 
Unlike game one, the Marauders found no seventh inning magic and went down in order to close out the season.
 
Four Marauders each had a hit in the finale, including Hubbard and Kylie Alto.
 
In her final start of the season, Lara allowed one run on five hits and a walk in five innings, striking out  three.
 
Lily Langevin posted three of the Golden Bears ten hits. Schattner and Jarosz both had two. Heim picked up the win after holding the Marauders to four hits and one run in seven innings.
 
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