Clermont, Fla. - The Alma College softball team picked up two more wins in Florida on Monday (Feb. 26), making the Scots 5-1 overall on the season. Alma defeated Capital University 9-2 and the Milwaukee School of Engineering 10-6.

One day after striking out a career-high nine batters, Katie McClure (Manchester, Mich. / Manchester) did one better, fanning 10 Capital players in game one. McClure allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings. The Crusaders batted .154 against her.

Cassidy Tucker (Coleman, Mich. / Coleman) led the Scots at the plate, going 5-for-9 over the two games with a triple and 4 RBI. McKenzie Creed (Edwardsburg, Mich. / Edwardsburg) and Madyson Piche (Sault Saint Marie, Mich. / Sault Area) also batted over .400 on the day; Creed went 3-for-7 with two doubles and Piche went 3-for-5 with three RBI and four runs scored.

Freshman Jazmine Hamm (Byron Center, Mich. / Byron Center) got her first collegiate win against the Raiders. Hamm allowed six runs (four earned) over seven innings. MSOE got five of its six runs in the third inning. Aside from the first and third innings when the Raiders scored, Hamm allowed five hits over five innings.

How It Happened

• The Scots scored in each inning except for the fifth against Capital. Tucker singled to begin the first inning and Creed brought her home with a double to left-center field. Creed scored on a sacrifice fly by Mary Brooks (Portland, Mich. / Portland).
• Tucker brought in Preslee Deater (Grant, Mich. / Grant) and Piche with a single up the middle in the bottom of the second.
• Alma loaded the bases in the bottom of the third and scored three runs one at a time. Piche was hit by a pitch, scoring Kendall Bird (Holt, Mich. / Holt) who pinch ran for Creed. Deater hit a sac fly to score Brooks. And Bry Chapman (Holt, Mich. / Holt) singled to singled to center field to score Piche.
• The Scots scored their eighth run on a Brooks single to right field in the bottom of the fourth.
• Capital scored its first run in the top of the fifth to prevent the eight-run five-inning mercy rule. It added another in the sixth to make it 8-2.
• Kaylee Martin (North Branch, Mich. / North Branch) picked up her first RBI of the season with a single to left-center field, scoring Averi Munro (Morrice, Mich. / Morrice).
• McClure struck out two batters in four of the seven innings she pitched in.
• Alma started game two in a 1-0 hole after one inning.
• The Scots took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning when Brooks reached on a fielder's choice with the bases loaded, scoring Tucker. Then, Riley Terwilliger (Mount Pleasant, Mich. / Sacred Heart Academy) grounded out but brought in Chelsea Schweiger (St. Clair, Mich. / St. Clair) from third.
• The Raiders picked up five runs on five hits in the bottom half of the inning to take a 6-2 lead.
• Alma didn't score again until the fifth inning when it chipped away at the lead. With the bases loaded, Terwilliger walked, scoring Schweiger. Piche had a two-RBI single to plate Katie Long (Grand Rapids, Mich. / West Catholic) and Morgan Dubay (Merrill, Mich. / Merrill). Kali Prillwitz (St. Joseph, Mich. / St. Joseph) picked up two RBI on her first career triple, scoring Piche and Terwilliger. Prillwitz, herself, scored when Deater singled up the middle.
• The Scots picked up two insurance runs in the seventh inning when Tucker tripled to right field, scoring Morgan Trout (Otisville, Mich. / Lakeville) and Piche. Tucker was thrown out at home trying to make her hit an inside-the-park home run.

Notables

• Katie McClure has earned two wins in two complete games. She is striking out an average of 8.19 batters over seven innings, including 19 in her last two outings.
• Five players are slugging over .600, led by Mary Brooks, who has four doubles and one home run out of nine hits so far. McKenzie Creed is close behind with six of her ten hits being doubles.
• Seven players batted in Alma's nine runs against Capital, led by Cassidy Tucker and Mary Brooks who each had two.
• Alma's leadoff batters were 6-for-6 against Capital and 6-for-7 against MSOE.
• Four players had two RBI against Milwaukee School of Engineering: Cassidy Tucker, Riley Terwilliger, Madyson Piche and Kali Prillwitz.

What's Next

After playing six games in three days, The Scots are off on Tuesday, Feb. 27. They will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 28 to face Milwaukee School of Engineering once more, followed by Johnson & Wales University. The games are scheduled to start at 9:00 and 11:30 a.m.

Contact: Zach Russo, Assistant Sports Information Director