With just a handful of games remaining in their season, the Marian University Ancilla softball team is still battling to win each time out. Yesterday, they fell twice at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, however, the bats were active early, and they had some very nice contributions throughout the entire roster. Below is a look at some highlights from each of those games.
Game-1 (L 18-10): In the first game of the day, the Charger bats came alive. Freshman Alyssa Mulbarger led off the game with a double, then Freshman Abigail Heaston singled, and Freshman Samantha Hoffman singled as well to drive in Mulbarger, and it was 1-0 Chargers before an out had been recorded. The Cougars matched that run in the bottom of the 1st inning, making it a 1-1 tie at the time.
In the bottom of the 2nd inning, Kalamazoo Valley put six more runs on the board and took what looked to be a sizeable lead at 7-1. However, the Chargers didn't go away so easily. In the top of the 3rd inning, Marian Ancilla sent 12 girls to bat, amassing seven runs of their own, and reclaiming the lead at 8-7. During that stretch, Hoffman batted twice and drove in two runs on a double and a single. Freshman Ambrosia Mason drove in Hoffman with a single, Freshman Samantha Perry drove in Mason by way of a single, Freshman Keely Qualkenbush hit into a fielder's choice, allowing Freshman Justice Billingsley to score, and Mulbarger hit a single scoring Perry, then because of an error, Qualkenbush also crossed the plate on the same play.
The very next inning, the Chargers would strike again when Mason reached via a dropped 3rd strike, then Billingsley singled and stole second base, putting two runners in scoring position. Perry then stepped to the plate knocked a line drive single to center field, and both Mason and Billingsley scored, extending the Charger lead to 10-7.
With just a few at-bats remaining, the Cougars made the most of them. In the bottom of the 4th inning, they utilized clutch hitting in the way of three singles, a triple, and a home run to score four runs and take back the lead, 11-10. The bottom of the 5th inning wasn't much different, as they hit five consecutive singles to start the inning, then had a hit batsman, then another single and a double, to extend their lead to 18-10, ultimately ending the game because of the mercy rule.
Marian Ancilla's 10 runs scored were its second most this season, next to their 22-21 win against Terra State. They also had 15 hits in Game-1, and Heaston, Billingsley, and Qualkenbush each stole bases. Pitcher Justice Billingsley (0-6) was credited with the loss, though she allowed just nine base-runners and only two walks in her 2.0 innings of work.
Game-2 (L 10-0): As has been the case much of the year, Game-2 didn't go as well as they would have hoped. The Charger bats were only able to come up with 4 total hits, which accounted for all of their base-runners in Game-2. Ambrosia Mason had two of those hits, one of which was a double, while Abigail Heaston and Samantha Perry each singled. To make things worse, two of the four hits were essentially "erased" when those runners were thrown out attempting to steal bases.
Kalamazoo Valley scored a run in the bottom of the 1st inning, two in the bottom of the 2nd inning, and it was 3-0 early. The Chargers recorded three straight outs in the field in the bottom of the 3rd inning, then responded in the top of the 4th with runners on second and third base, but nothing was to come of it.
The Cougars then scored four more runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, and they walked it off with three final runs in the bottom of the 5th inning. Justice Billingsley (0-7) again pitched, this time all 4.1 innings for MUAC. She again did a nice job of only walking two batters, while striking out one. With walks having been a problem for a depleted pitching staff all year, her four walks in 6.1 innings on the day was a very good sign for the Chargers.
The Charger softball team has just four games remaining on the schedule, all at home, so please come out and support them when you are able. This Thursday, they host Jackson College, with start times set for 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. ET. Then, they return to action Saturday, hosting Lake Michigan College, with that double-header beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET.
