LEESBURG, FL – A second straight shutout performance by
Nicole Eckhardt led the University of Mary softball team to a split on the Marauders final day of their spring trip to the land of oranges and alligators. As Eckhardt extended her run of shutout innings to 13, the Marauders opened the day with a 4-0 win over Alliance University. UMary just missed a sweep after closing a week in Florida with a narrow 2-0 loss to the University of New Haven.
GAME 1 | University of Mary 4 Alliance University 0
Nicole Eckhardt earned her second straight shutout and the third of her career to open the Marauders final day in Florida. The junior limited Alliance to six hits and three walks while stranding 11 runners on base to lift the Marauders to the win.
Mckenzie Reinhardt and
Brooke De Jonge paced the Marauders with a pair of hits each as UMary combined for six hits.
PIVOT POINT
UMary scored the only run it needed in the game in the second. After a triple by De Jonge, a ground ball to second by
Kaylee Kannegiesser scored the Marauders first run of the game.
Walking a tightrope, Eckhardt made the run stand as she left the bases full of Alliance runners in both the second and third innings. After allowing just one baserunner in the fourth and fifth innings combine, Eckhardt came up clutch again in the later innings, stranding a pair of Alliance runners in each of the final two stanzas.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
STAT OF THE GAME
Alliance left 11 runners on base in the game, including the bases loaded in both the second and third innings.
GAME 2 | New Haven 2 UMary 0
Looking for a spring sweep of New Haven after beating the Chargers 4-1 on Monday, the Marauders were unable to take advantage of a strong starting performance by
Hannah Chambers in a 2-0 loss in UMary's eighth and final game of the week in Florida.
The Marauders completed their trip to the Sunshine State with a mark of 3-5 and are now 5-14 overall at the conclusion of their non-conference schedule.
Chambers was stellar through the first four innings as she held the Chargers to three hits before being touched for a pair of runs in the fifth. For the game she allowed just one earned run on six hits and no walks in five innings, striking out three.
Emari Evans closed out the game with a scoreless inning of work.
PIVOT POINT
Limited to two baserunners the first four innings,
Madison Wszolek and
Brooke De Jonge produced a pair of 2-out singles in the fifth innings but UMary couldn't plate a run against Chargers starter Mia Iodice.
New Haven broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth. An infield hit, a sacrifice bunt and another single with an error placed a pair of Chargers in scoring position with one out. A sacrifice fly and an Anderson double scored the only two runs of the game and one more than Iodice needed.
UMary had a pair of runners reach in the sixth but went down in order in the seventh.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Hannah Chambers 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 3 Ks
- UNH Mia Iodice 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 Ks
STAT OF THE GAME
Over their last 19 innings, the Marauders pitching staff has allowed one earned run and 16 hits.
NEXT UP
The Marauders are scheduled to open Northern Sun play at Minot State University on March 28.
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