Cougars Pick Up Sweep Over Trinity Christian
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Trinity Christian
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
|
Cleary (Mich.)
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | X | 7 | 12 | 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Trinity Christian
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 |
|
Cleary (Mich.)
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | X | 7 | 11 | 2 |
(Howell, MI)-- The double-header was originally supposed to be played at 5:00 PM and was moved up in order to beat the pending rain, and the Cougar softball team picked up a pair of wins regardless of the start time, as Cleary defeated the visiting Trinity Christian College Trolls in two games Friday afternoon at Lake Trust Stadium.
In Game 1: After neither team was able to get things going over the first three innings, the Trolls struck first in the top of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead. Cleary responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning, with Kate Currie hitting a single, Maddie Campbell drawing a walk, and Alex Pace hitting a single to load the bases. The next batter, Courtney Ture, hit a triple to left center field that cleared the bases to give Cleary the lead at 3-1. The next batter, Osheiauna Phifer, singled to right field and scored Ture to give Cleary a 4-1 lead through four innings. In the bottom of the fifth, Kate Currie once again singled (Izabell Estes would pinch run), followed up with a Maddie Campbell single to advance the runner. Alex Pace came up and hit a single to center field that scored Estes and advanced Campbell to third base. Two batters later, Osheiauna Phifer hit a sacrifice fly to right field and scored Campbell to give the Cougars a 6-1 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Sarah Cassidy singled with two outs, and advanced to second base on a wild pitch to bring up Kate Currie. Currie hit a triple to right field that scored the game's final run and gave Cleary a 7-1 lead.
Mercedes Cole pitched a complete game to earn her second win of the season, as she allowed 1 run (0 earned) on 5 hits, while striking out 2 and walking 1. Kate Currie went 4/4 at the plate with 1 run and 1 RBI, while Osheiauna Phifer, Alex Pace, and Courtney Ture each added 2 hits apiece.
In Game 2: After Osheiauna Phifer led off the game with a single, Mia Rzepka tripled to right center to give the Cougars an early 1-0 lead. Rzepka would be called out on runner interfence during the next at bat. Susie Bielecki would single to right field, and Izzy Easton drew a walk to put two runners on. After a Sarah Cassidy groundout advanced the runners, Kate Currie singled to left to score both Bielecki and Easton and give Cleary a 3-0 lead. Osheiauna Phifer got on base once again with an infield single, and promptly stole second base. A Mia Rzepka single advanced Phifer to third base, and a Susie Bielecki walk loaded the bases to bring up Izzy Easton. Easton would ground out to short, but would score Phifer on the play to give Cleary a 4-0 lead through two innings.
Trinity Christian would make some noise in the top of the fourth, as the Trolls scored three runs to cut into the deficit, but Cleary responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three runs right back to secure a 7-3 lead. After Miz Rzepka, Susie Bielecki, and Izzy Easton all reached base, Sarah Cassidy reached on an error that scored two runs. The next batter was Kate Currie who hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored the game's final run.
Allison Lesonsky and Alexis Beeson combined for the win, with Beeson picking up her second win on the season. Mia Rzepka went 4/4 at the plate, while Kate Currie went 2/2 to have a perfect day at the plate between the two games (6/6). Susie Bielecki also had two hits in this game.
Cleary improves to 11-15 overall, and will travel to Goshen, Indiana to take on the Goshen Maple Leafs on Sunday, March 20 in a double-header. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1:00 PM.
