BISMARCK, ND - Excellent pitching performances by Elyssa Verploegen and Arria Johnson helped lead the University of Mary softball team (11-27, 1-15 Northern Sun) to a series split and their first conference against the University of Minnesota Crookston (11-28, 5-9 NSIC). UMary won game one 2-0 and fell 8-3 in a hard-fought ten-inning affair.
The Marauders stay home as they welcome Minnesota State University Moorhead to the UMary Softball Field on Sunday, April 11, at noon.
GAME 1 University of Mary 2 UMC 0
Game one would see both teams shut out over the first five innings. The Marauders kicked open the scoring in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Jenel Mallari, Jianna Cota, and Daisy Sparrow would each reach safely to load the bases. Francesca Villaneda followed up by smacking a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Mallari. Ariana Retuta then laced a double down the left field line that brought home Sparrow to make it a 2-0 ballgame.
Elyssa Verploegen had her best start of the season. She pitched 6.1 innings and allowed zero runs, while striking out four batters. Verploegen would run into trouble in the seventh inning as the Golden Eagles had runners on third and first with one out. Arria Johnson came into relief and immediately induced a 6-3 double play to end the game. Johnson picked up her third save of the season, and Verploegen recorded her first win of the year.
The Marauders finished the game with seven hits and two walks, while the Golden Eagles had four hits and three walks.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Daisy Sparrow went 3-for-3 with one double and one run scored.
Genevieve Hastings went 1-for-1 with two steals and one walk.
Jenel Mallari went 2-for-2 with one walk and one run scored.
Ariana Retuta went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
GAME 2 University of Mary 3 UMC 8 10 F/10
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead at the top of the first inning. Cassidy Bagnell led off the fourth inning with a single to third base. Jenel Mallari walked, and Jianna Cota bunted them over to put runners on second and third. Daisy Sparrow then smashed a fly ball to left field to bring home Bagnell and cut the UMC lead in half.
The game would stay 2-1 until the bottom of the seventh inning. With one out, Genevieve Hastings smashed a double off the left field wall. Janelle Bergmann drew a walk, and Lalaina Baker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Mallari would then walk for the second time in the game to score Hastings and tie the game. The Marauders failed to bring home another run as the game headed into extra innings.
After two scoreless innings, the Golden Eagles exploded for six runs in the top of the tenth inning to take an 8-3 lead. UMary got a run back in the tenth when Bree Waldron smacked a double to right center, scoring Daisy Sparrow. It would not be enough as UMC secured an 8-3 win.
Arria Johnson came on in relief in the first inning and threw a career-high 9.2 innings and struck out a career-best eight batters. UMary had seven hits and nine walks, while UMC recorded 15 hits and two walks.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Genevieve Hastings went 2-for-3 with two walks, one double, and one run scored.
Jenel Mallari went 1-for-3 with two walks and one RBI.
Daisy Sparrow went 1-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI.
Bree Waldron went 1-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Ariana Retuta went 1-for-4.
Jianna Cota recorded two walks.
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