Softball Loses Doubleheader to Lancers

(Yankton, SD) – The Mount Marty Lancers defeated the Broncos in a tight 3-2 game one, before taking the second game as well, 15-7.

The Lancers struck first to begin game one in the first inning, as a one-out walk turned into second and third situation after a double. Mount Marty went up 1-0 on a single to right field, but junior Kiera Brack limited the damage by retiring the next two batters.

Senior Lexie Mudloff started the second inning with a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Freshman Sofia Carroll brought her home with a base knock to left field, tying the game at one. Junior Ana Medeiros then put Hastings up 2-1 with a home run in the third.

Neither team was able to get much offense going after the third inning until the seventh, as Brack did not allow more than two base runners in any of those innings. The bottom of the seventh inning changed however, as the Lancers hit a one-out single, followed by a double and a walk to load the bases. Hastings got an out at the plate on a fielder's choice to get the second out, but a single to center field was enough for two runs to score and walk it off, 3-2.

Despite the loss, Brack pitched 6.2 innings and gave up just three runs on seven hits, striking out four.

Hastings scored a run in every inning of game two, but a nine-run third inning turned the game in the favor of the Lancers.

With one out in the first, senior Lauren Schneider hit a one-out triple to right. Two batters later with runners on the corners and two out, Medeiros batted one into center field to bring home Schneider and give Hastings a 1-0 lead. The Lancers tied it in the next half inning on a homer to center.

In the second inning, seniors Shey Storesund and Nicole Halsey reached base with one out, then with two outs, Schneider walked to load the bases. Sophomore Kaylee Pinneo drove in two runs with an RBI single to put Hastings up 3-1, but Mount Marty got one run back in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-2.

Walks by Medeiros, junior Katyn Kappler, and Halsey loaded the bases for Tanabe, who hit an RBI single to bring in Medeiros to put Hastings back up 4-2 in the third. The first nine batters reached for the Lancers in their half of the third to score seven runs, then they added another run on a sac fly and two-out double to pull ahead of the Broncos, 11-4.

Hastings did get two runs back in the fourth, as Pinneo doubled to lead off the inning and after a walk from junior Lauren Lee, Medeiros doubled her home and Mudloff followed her up with an RBI single to cut the lead to 11-6. After a scoreless fourth from Mount Marty, Tanabe started the fifth with a double to center and Lee drove her home to make it 11-7 going to the bottom of the fifth.

Hastings got the first two batters out in the fifth, but back-to-back singles turned into a three-run home run to go up seven. They got a double in the very next at-bat and walked it off on an RBI single to get the run-rule win, 15-7.

The Broncos had just two fewer hits, 15-13, but the Lancers capitalized to score as many runs as hits. Medeiros led the Broncos in game two by going 3-3 and a walk with two RBIs and a run scored. Pinneo, Tanabe, and Mudloff each had two hits themselves, with Tanabe contributing two runs scored and Pinneo driving in two runs.

Up next, Hastings will host a doubleheader against College of Saint Mary on Saturday, April 12 beginning at 1pm.