WAYNE, NE – An offensive onslaught by the University of Mary led the Marauders to a road sweep over Wayne State College. UMary captured the opener 11-3 before needing extra innings to claim game two 7-4. In addition to the 18 runs, six Marauders had at least three hits in the doubleheader and the team combined for 27 total hits.
Down 3-2 after the opening inning of the day's opener, the Marauders put nine runs on the board in the third inning to overwhelm the Wildcats.
Taylor Lara and
Madison McGonigal both had two-run doubles in the decisive inning before
Taylor Mendez cracked a 3-run home run, her eighth of the year. Still in attack mode, the Marauders added another run on Wayne State's third error of the inning and an RBI single for Lara.
After allowing three runs on four hits in the opening inning,
Madison Jahner shut down the Wildcats attack the rest of the game. In the remaining four innings, the only baserunner reached on an error as the freshman retired 13 of the last 14 hitters she faced. Jahner didn't walk a hitter and struck out eight in her five-inning complete game.
Rebekkah Keller finished the game 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Mendez was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three runs batted in. Lara was 3-for-3 with a run scored and three RBIs.
Amber Gamboa,
Colleen Crutchfield and McGonigal all had two hits. Gamboa and Crutchfield both scored twice and McGonigal had two RBIs.
Just as in the opener, the Marauders scored twice in the top of the first inning behind run-scoring singles from Gamboa and Crutchfield. Single runs by Wayne State in the first and second tied the game before Mary scored another pair of runs in the third, this time on another Crutchfield RBI single and a sacrifice fly by
Hannah Holtz.
Refusing to go away, Wayne State pulled within 4-3 on a run-scoring groundout in the third. The Wildcats rallied to tie the game on a Jordyn Breitbarth single in the seventh.
Forced into extra innings, the Marauders went scoreless in the eighth before loading the bases with two outs in the ninth. An infield single by Crutchfield scored the go-ahead run before Holtz blasted a two-run double to left for some breathing room.
Lara, who entered the game in relief in the seventh inning, allowed a one-out double before retiring the next two hitters for Mary's fourth win in five games.
Keller finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Mendez scored three runs. Crutchfield posted three hits and three RBIs. Holtz drove in three runs.
Breitbarth had two hits and two RBIs for WSC.
The Marauders return home to start an eight-game home stand, starting against Northern State on April 12.
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