Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Florida – The No. 14 Heidelberg University softball team finished its Florida trip with a split on Friday. The Student Princes run-ruled Allegheny College, 9-0 in six innings, then fell to Wisconsin Whitewater, 3-1. Heidelberg heads north with a 9-1 record.
STANDOUT STATS
GAME ONE: Heidelberg 9 Allegheny 0 (6 innings)
Batting as the visitors, Heidelberg took an early 1-0 lead. Bailey Smith slapped an infield single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Mitsch reached on a throwing error, which allowed Smith to trot home.
As Atterholt kept the Gators at bay, the score remained 1-0 until the fourth. Kayla Zachrich led off with a triple to right center and scored on an overthrow to third -- Heidelberg's second little league home run in as many games.
Things unraveled for Allegheny in the sixth. Mitsch singled to start. Pinch runner Riley Brown rounded the bases on a double by pinch hitter Joanna Catalano. A single by Morgan Daniels chased home Catalano. Following a single by Hicks, Daniels scored on a hit by Randi Kelsey. A throwing error allowed Renee Lovett to reach and two runs to score. Lovett would steal third and score on a throwing error. Mitsch closed the scoring with an RBI single smashed past the second baseman.
Atterholt (5-0) allowed a one-out single in the sixth, but the Gators could not muster anything else.
GAME TWO: Whitewater 3 Heidelberg 1
Three Heidelberg errors in the top of the first gifted a run to the Warhawks. The Student Princes answered in the bottom of the frame when Mitsch blasted a home run to left center.
Both offenses had a hard time finding scoring opportunities until the late innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Smith pulled a ball over the head of the right fielder for a lead-off triple. She would be stranded after a pair of pop ups and a groundout.
Bolstered by the defensive stand, Whitewater went to work in the top of the sixth. A leadoff double, an infield single and a wild pitch put Warhawks on second and third with no outs. A sacrifice fly and a suicide squeeze plated a pair, giving UW-W a 3-1 lead.
The Student Princes were not able to mount a comeback in the sixth and seventh.
Erin Chapman (3-1) finished with a complete game loss, allowing two earned runs on seven hits. She fanned one and did not allow a walk.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
Heidelberg's 9-0 start tied the best beginning of a season in program history. The 2010 team also won its first nine games before losing.
Zachrich has 15 career triples, the most in school history.
Mitsch is now two home runs shy of tying the HU home run queen, Jadie Wheeler. Wheeler hit 27 homers from 1996-99.
Chapman has not had much run support from the offense. In her three starts, Heidelberg has averaged 2.6. In the other seven games, the Student Princes are scoring 9.6 runs per game.
The junior varsity team beat Western Connecticut, 4-2. They went 3-0 on the trip.
QUOTES FROM THE COACH
Head coach Betsy Hada on the start to the season: "Obviously, we're thrilled to head back to Tiffin with nine wins. Are there things for us to work on? Of course ... but that's part of the grind, and I know our girls relish the opportunity to get better."
Hada on the loss to Whitewater: "We knew coming in that this would be a tough battle for us ... They advanced to the regionals a year ago, so it gave us a good litmus test. Credit them for producing the runs late in the game."
Hada on the pitching staff: "We feel confident in everyone we put out there ... Paige (Atterholt) and Erin (Chapman) have been through this before, and I think they, along with our catchers, have done a good job helping Morgan (Daniels) develop."
UP NEXT
After the bus ride home, Heidelberg heads to Bluffton University on Wednesday for a twinbill. Game one starts at 3:30 p.m.
