On Friday, the Alma College softball team took the field in a late afternoon/evening doubleheader in Caledonia against Madonna University. The games were played at the Farmers Insurance Complex at Davenport University.

The two teams split on the day, with Alma taking the first game in extra innings 3-2. In the nightcap, Madonna capitalized off of several Alma errors and took the second game by a margin of 10-6.

After the split, the Scots ended the day with an overall record of 5-7, while Madonna moved to 10-5-1 on the season.

Game One

So. P Morgan Stratton (Grand Blanc/Grand Blanc) took the circle in the first game of the doubleheader for her fifth start of the season.

In the top of the first inning, Alma Sr. 3B Lea Lusk (Columbiaville/Lakeville recorded a walk and Jr. 1B Sarah Collier (Fenton/Fenton) followed with the first hit of the game with a single to left field. Both runners were left stranded after a strikeout ended the inning.

In the bottom of the first frame, Madonna recorded the first run on of the game but  solid team defensive effort ended the inning with the Scots only down a run.

After a scoreless second inning, the bats warmed up for the Scots in the third when lead off hitter Sr. OF Marie Zill (Chelsea/Chelsea) banged a triple to left field, followed a sacrifice fly from Sr. SS Devon Olah (White Lake/Lakeland) that made it a 1-1 game.

Stratton continued to roll, as she struck out three batters in the third and fourth innings, and the score remained tied until the top of the fifth inning. Zill notched a lead off single and then stole second. Lusk followed with a single up the middle that scored Zill before a strikeout ended the top of the frame with the Scots up 2-1.

Madonna scored in the bottom of the fifth, tying the game at 2-2, but neither team was able to score in the remainder of the way in regulation, and the game headed into extra innings.

The teams used the international rule for extra innings meaning a runner was placed on second base to start the frame. In this case, So. PR Jade Garcia (Kentwood/East Kentwood) took that spot for the Scots. Lusk then sacrifice bunted Garcia to third. This was followed by a single to left center from Collier scored the runner and gave Alma the 3-2 advantage.

Madonna was unable score in their half of the frame. Their runner moved to third on a sacrifice, but a pop-out and a ground-out ended the threat and Alma walked off the field with the exciting one-run victory.

Stratton improved to 3-2 on the year after giving up five hits, two runs, two walks, and recording a total of nine strikeouts for the complete game victory. Zill went three for three at the plate with two runs scored, while Collier had two hits and the game-winning run batted in for the Scots.

Game Two

In the second game, seven fielding errors would doom the Scots as Madonna took advantage of those miscues to come from behind and earn a 10-6 victory to gain a split of the doubleheader.

Madonna tallied the first run of the game in the top of the second against Alma starting Fr. P Katie McClure (Manchester/Manchester) hit a batter and then gave up a double that scored the runner.

Alma responded by scoring five runs in the bottom of the second. So. SS Danielle Service (Mason/Mason) had a lead off single followed by a single from So. 2B Anna Couture. Madonna errors resulted in both Service and Couture scoring, giving Alma the 2-1 lead. A sacrifice fly by Olah, a double by Jr. C Kayla Merice (Dorr/Wayland) and a single by Lusk scored three unearned runs, giving Alma a 5-1 lead.

Things started to unravel for the Scots in the top of the third when Madonna took advantage of an Alma error by scoring two runs. That was followed by five more runs in the top of the fourth that also took advantage of Alma errors, making the score 8-5 Madonna. The Crusaders would add two more runs in the top of the seventh on a wild pitch and an Alma error.

Conversely, after their big second inning, Alma was not able to generate any offense until late in the seventh frame. Garcia walked with one out and advanced to second on a passed ball. Then, Sr. P Sam Pierce (Clarklake/Michigan Center) singled, scoring Garcia to make it a 10-6 game. After a single by Zill, a fly-out by Merice and strikeout by Lusk ended the game.

McClure gave up three hits, six runs (two earned) with five walks and two strikeouts and fell to 1-3 on the season with the loss. Sr. P Breu Olling (Breckenridge/Breckenridge) pitched three innings, allowing two hits and two runs (including a homerun) to go with one strikeout. Pierce pitched the final frame and allowed two runs (one earned), one hit, one walk and had one strikeout.

Olah, Garcia and McClure each had two hits for the Scots in a losing effort.

On Saturday, Alma will be back at Davenport University for another doubleheader. They take on Bluffton University (OH) at 4:00 p.m. in the first game and then the host Panthers in the final game at approximately 6:00 p.m.