ADRIAN, Mich. -- In their first true road doubleheader of the season, the Heidelberg University softball team walked away with a sweep of Adrian College. Heidelberg won the opener 5-3, then pulled away late in a 12-6 victory in the nightcap.
Heidelberg improved to 8-4 on the season.
GAME ONE: BERG 5-7-1 ADRIAN 3-6-2
In the top of the first,
Emma Dean slashed a double up the gap in left center, plating
Kat Brady and
Meghan Bame.
Ahead 2-1 in the fourth, HU scored again.
Maddie Gossard walked and moved to second on a single by
Kalli Sowers. With two outs,
Jade Torres singled to center and drove in pinch runner
Grace Anthony.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of unearned runs.
Torres broke the tie in the sixth with a base hit to left center that scored
Gabbie Stallbaum. Later, pinch hitter
Jessica Voitko drew a bases-loaded walk that forced in Sowers.
Reliever
Payton Scheid (2-0) entered in the fourth and retired the final seven batters she faced. Scheid allowed no runs on two hits and struck out one in 3.2 innings. Starter
Caitlin Dems went 3.1 innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits.
GAME TWO: BERG 12-12-3 ADRIAN 6-11-4
As they did in the opener, Heidelberg played from in front in the night cap. Brady singled, stole second, then third.
Hanna Blasinsky walked, then stole second. Bame delivered an RBI groundout before Dean sent a run-scoring single to right center.
Speed helped Heidelberg add another run in the second. Torres reached on an error, then stole second. Brady slapped the ball to third, but the throw to first was off the mark. The error allowed Torres to score.
Dean led off the third with another double to left center, but remained there with two outs. Stallbaum delivered a clutch single to center, putting HU up 4-0.
Undeterred, the hosts showed some pluck in the bottom of the third, scoring four runs to tie the game.
Unphased, Heidelberg retook the lead in the next half-inning. Brady singled to left, then -- to no one's surprise -- stole second. With two outs, Bame singled to right to drive in Brady.
The Tricolor tacked on an insurance run in the fifth. Gossard singled to left and Anthony pinch ran. Stallbaum put down a great sacrifice bunt to third. Anthony did not hesitate at second and slid safely into third. Maddie Mosier drove her in with an RBI ground out.
Adrian inched to within one in the sixth, scoring an unearned run.
The Student Princes removed all doubt with a major rally in the top of the seventh. Dean and
Murissa Drown started the frame with singles, then moved up on a sacrifice bunt from Gossard. Stallbaum came through with a two-run single to left center -- a hit that provided much-needed breathing room for HU. Not content with the 8-5 lead, HU remained focused at the plate. Mosier walked and Torres reached on an error to load the bases. Brady and pinch hitter
Kirsten Kracht forced in runs with back-to-back walks. With two outs, Dean drove in the final two runs with a soft single to left. In all, the six-run inning put Heidelberg ahead 12-5.
Adrian scored once, but left the bases loaded in the seventh.
Maggie Hoffman made her first start of the season and worked 2.1 innings. She allowed four earned runs on five hits.
Riley Cruse (2-1) went the final 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on six hits.
UP NEXT
Conference play commences on Saturday as Mount Union visits Frann's Field for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.
