The Belles (23-8 overall, 12-4 MIAA) finished the regular season with a doubleheader split with Tri-State Saturday at Saint Mary's.
In game one, the Belles took an early 3-1 lead after the third inning, but the Thunder scored five unanswered runs in the next three frames to win the game 8-3. Junior Calli Davison (11-8) took the loss.
Game two started out similarly, with Saint Mary's jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a home run by junior Ashley Fusaro. This time, however, it was the Belles scoring five more unanswered runs, as they went on to shut out the Thunder 8-0.
Saint Mary's' only senior, McKenna Corrigan, pitched the complete game shutout to finish her final season a perfect 12-0. She also hit a three-run home run in the top of the fifth in her last home at-bat. Overall, she was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored in game two.
"[Corrigan] was fantastic," coach Erin Sullivan said. "She hit [the home run] off of Elise English, Tri-State's stud pitcher."
English pitched the fifth and sixth innings of game two. The three-time MIAA pitcher of the week came into the game with an ERA of 0.98.
The Belles are nearing or have already surpassed several school records. Their 12 league wins are the most in the regular season for Saint Mary's since it joined the MIAA in 1998.
Individually, sophomore Ashley Peterson is close to single-handedly re-writing the offensive record book. She posted two hits on Saturday, tying her for most hits in a season with 53. That record, held by Andrea Arena, dates back to 1997. Peterson's 36 RBIs are only three away from tying the school record, and Corrigan is right behind her with 32 RBIs. Peterson, who has hit 13 doubles so far, is just six doubles from tying the career record.
Sullivan said Peterson also has a good chance at being the regular season batting champion with a .580 in-conference batting average.
The Belles will head to the MIAA tournament as either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed, depending on whether Tri-State wins or loses against Adrian. Tri-State will also be competing in the tournament, which will be held at Alma College on Thursday and Friday.
