SMC Softball
Saint Mary’s softball lights up Olivet for 24 combined runs in doubleheader
J.J. Post | Tuesday, April 12, 2022
This weekend, Saint Mary’s softball swept a pair of games against Olivet College, dispatching the Comets 12-0 and 12-1 in a pair of five inning games.
In the first game of a Sunday doubleheader, a seven run first inning got the Belles off to a flying start and set the tempo for a dominant all-around performance. The Belles batted around the order entirely before the Comets were able to register their first out of the game, when starting pitcher Malaya Shireman chased just seven batters into the inning. Saint Mary’s plated all seven runs in the inning before any batter got out. The bulk of that scoring came as a result of a pair of two RBI hits by McKenna Myers, who singled, and Alexis Rauch, who doubled.
From there, the scoring explosions dried up for the most part, with another Rauch hit in the second inning bringing home another runner before the Belles went scoreless in the third. Another burst of offense followed in the fourth inning, however, with a single by Grace Renschen and a double by Shelby Dellasandro bringing in three more runs to bring the lead to double digits. And in the fifth inning, an error in the outfield brought home Myers for the twelfth and final run.
On the mound, Mandi Hettinger notched her first win of the season in a three inning outing, allowing four hits and maintaining the shutout that Grace Renschen would finish out in the final two innings. Renschen would only allow two hits in her short runout, also striking out a pair of batters.
The offensive outpouring for the Belles continued in their second game of the day, starting off with a five run first inning to once again set the tone for a dominant performance. After a pair of Comet errors helped load the bases for Hettinger, the first baseman brought in the opening runs of the day with a double to left field. McKenna Shoupe would plate two more in the next at-bat with a single, before eventually scoring herself on a single by Libby Bierbaum.
The offense would cool down for the next two innings, before another seven run burst by the Belles broke the game wide open in the fourth. A pair of errors and a walk loaded the bases to start the inning, before Rauch cleared them with a grand slam over the right field fence. Following two quick outs, a pair of singles would set up a base clearing double by Bierbaum to push the lead to 11. Bierbaum would later cross the plate herself on a single by Winnie Tomsheck to close out the onslaught of scoring for the inning and series.
Bierbaum also went the full game on the hill for Saint Mary’s, allowing just five hits in five innings as well as just a single run. The sophomore also struck out six batters while walking just one to take home her second win of the season with a complete game.
The pair of wins have Belles currently sitting at a 6-7 record on the season. Saint Mary’s will now look ahead to a pair of doubleheaders slated for later this week, with a home showdown against Trine University on Wednesday and a trip to Alma College on Friday both on the docket.
