Lady Cardinals start season with hot bats
FARMINGTON — Mineral Area College’s new softball program started earlier than expected. Scheduled for today, the games were moved to Wednesday to avoid Thursday’s potentially inclement weather. The good weather did not help the Lady Cardinals as they lost both ends of the doubleheader.
Kaskaskia 9, Mineral Area 8
The Lady Cardinals fell behind early in game one of their doubleheader with the Kaskaskia Blue Angels, but they constantly threatened until the last out in the seventh inning left them one run short for a 9-8 loss.
Mineral Area (0-2) had 12 hits to the visitors eight, but the Lady Cardinals had trouble handling the ball as their defense gave up seven unearned runs on seven errors.
The Blue Angels (2-2) got their first break after MAC pitcher Kayla Reuss struck out the first batter on three pitches and got the second to ground out. MAC’s first error opened the floodgates as four Blue Angels crossed the plate on just two hits. Kendra Kujawa’s two-run double highlighted the rally and a two-run outfield error followed before Marilyn Oquendo hauled in a fly ball to end the inning.
Jessica Bartlett cut Kaskaskia’s lead in half in the bottom of the inning. Robyn Pashia drew a four-pitch walk, and Bartlett promptly parked the softball over the centerfield fence for Mineral Area’s first-ever home run with Pashia scoring the college’s very first run.
The Lady Cardinals gave the two runs back in the top of the second, committing four errors to help Kaskaskia score two more runs. It would have been more, but a baserunning mistake by the Blue Angels helped shorten the inning.
Four hits in the third by the Lady Cardinals made it a one-run game. Amy Allgier rifled a drive off the leftfield fence for a double, and Jordan Freese caught the leftfield line with her RBI hit for a second double after Emily Blumenthal’s two-run single.
Every time Mineral Area would make a run at Kaskaskia, the Blue Angels would answer back with enough runs to stay just ahead of the home team.
A mental error by the Lady Cardinals allowed a double steal with Courtney Krekorian scoring on the play, and Ashley Bolton followed with an RBI single in the top of the fifth to make the score 8-5.
Kaskaskia’s defense tallied the only double play of the game in the bottom of the inning, but a two-out triple by Kelly Kruse over the rightfielder’s head scored another MAC run.
The Blue Angels scored their last run in the sixth, courtesy of two MAC errors, despite Reuss striking out the side. Down by three in their last at-bats, the Lady Cardinals rallied again. A one-out single by Oquendo was free passage home as Bartlett smashed her second home run of the game on the very first pitch. Two fly balls left Mineral Area one run short.
Kaskaskia 420 021 0 – 9 8 0
Mineral Area 200 310 2 – 8 12 7
WP- Kujawa 7i 8r 12h 1k 1bb. LP- Reuss 9r (2er) 8h 6k 5bb.
Hitting:
Kaskaskia – Glesson 2-4, Bolton 2-5, Shelton 1-2, Davis 1-4, Smith 1-5, Kreoger 0-1, Winkler 0-1, Krekorian 0-2, Young 0-2, Kujawa 0-3, Green 0-5. 2b- Davis.
Mineral Area – Hummel 3-4, Oquendo 2-3, Bartlett 2-4, Kaempfe 1-2, Blumenthal 1-3, Allgier 1-3, Kruse 1-4, Usher 1-4, Freese 0-1 Boyer 0-3. HR- Bartlett 2, 3b- Kruse, 2b- Allgier, Kaempfe .
Kaskaskia 16, Mineral Area 7
It was nearly lights out for the Lady Cardinals in the first inning of game two. Eleven Blue Angels crossed the plate before MAC’s offense could put a finger in the floodgates. The Lady Cardinals fought back to make it a four-run game, but Kaskaskia scored five more in the seventh for a 16-7 win.
MAC, once again, kept lavishing out the hits with 15 in game two. Blumenthal led Mineral Area in hitting with a double and two singles, and Allgier and Usher had three singles each. Kruse hit a double and a single.
Mineral Area will partake in the Evangel University Tournament on Friday and Saturday for their next four games, and they will be home at the Farmington Sports Complex on March 5 to face Missouri Valley University.
