After two losses against Aurora, followed by a week-long break due to weather, Saint Mary's softball finally made their way back onto the field with an away series against Anderson. The Belles split the series with a 9-2 win in the first game but took a close 4-0 loss in the second.
Game 1
On the road, Saint Mary's was first up the plate and the first two Belle batters grounded out. Freshman infielder and outfielder Gia Schiavone singled to left field and made it all the way around the bases due to multiple Anderson defensive errors. Freshman infielder Hunter St. Peter grounded out to the short-stop to end the top of the first for Belles. Anderson matched the Belles' offense in the bottom of the first by using a sacrifice fly to score a runner and tie the score at 1-1.
Both teams went scoreless in the second and third inning, but the Belles aimed to change that in the top of the fourth. Despite having one out, Schiavone doubled to center field and St. Peter followed with a home run over the left field fence to score two. Now ahead 4-1, senior infielder Alexis Rauch doubled down the third base line and with two outs off the board, two singles from freshman pitcher and infielder Faith Dean and freshman catcher Lydia Hinga allowed Rauch to score.
While neither Anderson nor Saint Mary's scored in the fifth inning, Saint Mary's continued their offensive rhythm in the top of the sixth. St. Peter doubled to start the inning and advanced to third after Rauch grounded out on player's choice. Two doubles from junior outfielder Sophie Allen and Dean put two more runs on the board and a single from freshman outfielder Katie Hans paved the way for Dean to score. In the bottom of the sixth, Anderson attempted to close in on the Belles' lead with a solo home run, but was unable to add any additional damage against the strong Saint Mary’s defense.
In the final inning, Saint Mary's added on two more runs for themselves with help of four forced errors from the Anderson defense that put two players in scoring position. After a single to the right side, both sophomore transfer and infielder Laura Heim and Schiavone made it home, helping the Belles finish with a 9-2 win.
This game would mark Dean's fourth win in the circle for the Belles. The freshman threw a complete game only allowing two runs and struck out one batter.
Game 2
Saint Mary's drew the away team position for the second game but was unable to score in the top of the first. Anderson went off to a quick start in the bottom of the first with two singles to put two runners on base. A third single late in the inning allowed in two runs for Anderson before the Saint Mary's defense was able to close out the inning. The second inning resulted in a similar outcome as the Belles were unable to get the offense rolling again. Anderson kept their found more scoring momentum and added another run to stay ahead 3-0.
No runs were scored in the third, fourth or fifth innings, but Anderson was able to score their final run of the day in the sixth inning to win 4-0 over the Belles.
Junior pitcher Sam Mikitka took charge in the circle pitching a full game allowing four runs but striking out four batters.
The Belles sit at 6-8 on the season after this series and prepare to host a double header against Alma for their first MIAA games on Saturday, April 5. The first pitch is set to be thrown at 1 p.m.
