Still
smarting
from back-to-back one-run losses on Thursday, the Sioux Falls softball
squad (4-8) took its frustrations out in a big way today. It was
unfortunate for both Saint Michael's College (0-9) and Mercy College
(6-5), as the Cougars rolled the Purple Knights
8-1 and then completed the Friday sweep with an 11-2 mercy-rule rout of
Mavericks at the National Training Center in Clermont, Fla.
Junior Bailey Bouman recorded the first one-hitter of her career in game
one and needed just 83 pitches to silence the Purple Knights (56 of
which were strikes). She allowed one run on one hit with two walks while
striking out eight Mercy batsmen. Saint
Michael's opened scoring by notching it's lone run in the top of the
second inning. Bouman issued free passes to the first
two batters but settled down to post strikeouts of both varieties. SMC
senior Brittany Cantore then touched her for an RBI single that gave the
Mavericks a brief 1-0 advantage.
The
Purple and White wasted no time scoring in their half of the inning.
Senior Naomi Tesar started off with a lead-off walk and
Amanda Walters reached base thanks to an error by the second baseman.
After the Cougars posted two quick outs, Shae Reinke dug in and
delivered a textbook veteran at bat. The senior battled back from a 1-2
count to draw a base on balls to load the bases. Classmate
Katie Larson followed suit to walk in the Cougars' first run. A base hit
from Erin Scott plated two more before Larson crossed home plate on a
passed ball. Samantha Kane's RBI single capped the Cougars' five-run
inning.
"Our
number one goal on offense is to cross home as many times as possible,
so it was encouraging to see our hitters take the zero-to-zero
scoreboard mentality to the dish in every at-bat," said head coach
Travis Lape.
The five runs would turn out to be much more than Bouman needed. The Pipestone native faced the minimum the rest of the way.
The Cougars tacked on three runs on three hits in the top of the third to create the final margin of victory.
Kane
led USF at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Scott was 2-for-4 with
a pair of ribbies and Priscilla Quintana finished with
two hits and a run batted in.
Game
two went just as well for the Cougars, as they again strung together a
five-run second inning to cruise to the 11-2 win versus
the Mavericks.
"All
three in top middle of the order did a great job of working the process
and treating every at-bat the same," Lape said. "They
were rewarded with barrels all game long."
Amanda
Walters dominated the Mavericks (6-5) from the first pitch. The
Cougars' workhorse tossed the complete game win, allowing
two runs (one earned) on seven hits with two strikeouts in five innings.
She delivered first pitch strikes to 14 of the 23 batters she faced.
USF
had the chance to draw first blood early on, as the Cougars loaded the
bases with two outs in the first inning but Mercy starter
Mary Sieber induced a fly out to get out of the jam.
Walters
sent the Mavs down in order in the bottom of the frame and the Cougars
exploded for five runs in the second to chase Sieber.
All the scoreboard damage was done with two outs. Junior catcher Elliott
Lenz posted a one-out single and moved to third on Scott's infield base
hit. Kane reached base after an error by Mercy's Sieber, which also
plated Lenz for the Cougars' first run of the
game. Thompson continued to swing a hot bat and punched a hard grounder
to bring home another run. Another Maverick mishap scored Kane and gave
Tesar a free pass to first base. Daly's base on balls jacked the bases
for Priscilla Quintana, who got on base the
hard way and the hit by pitch brought Thompson home. Reinke drew a walk
that allowed Tesar to stroll home without trouble before Lenz came to
bat for the second time in the inning. She struck out but not before the
Cougars had put a five-spot on the board.
The
Mavericks got one back in the bottom of the second with a two-out line
drive ribbie to centerfield, but the Cougars responded
with three more runs in their half of the third. Scott earned a one-out
walk from Mercy reliever Shelby Johnson and Kane followed with a single.
Thompson stepped in and blasted a bases clearing two-bagger. Daly
doubled to right field to extend USF's lead to
8-1.
The
Cougars capped their scoring with a three-run fourth inning. Two
Maverick errors paired with a hit by pitch gifted USF with
bases loaded sans a hit and a run would score on a passed ball. Kane's
RBI ground out to second and Thompson's infield single accounted for the
other two tallies.
Mercy scored one run in the fifth but it wasn't enough to prevent the mercy rule from coming into play.
Four different USF players registered multiple hits to start the Cougar barrage. Thompson finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and two
runs, while Kane went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs and a run batted in.
USF will conclude its Florida trip on Saturday. The Cougars will face Alderson Broaddus College at 9 a.m., followed by a spring
break finale versus the New York Institute of Technology at 11 a.m. (ET).
