Clermont, Fla. - The Alma College softball team's offense exploded for 19 runs, including 12 in one game, on Thursday (March 1). Alma defeated Neumann University 7-4 and Capital University 12-4 in five innings. The Scots are now 9-1 overall. Neumann is 1-3 and Capital is 1-4.

Alma's offense was led by shortstop Riley Terwilliger (Mount Pleasant, Mich. / Sacred Heart Academy), who went 5-for-6 with a triple, a double, two RBI and five runs scored on the day. Five other Scots also hit over .500, while two more were better than .400. Eight players had multi-hit games overall, while Madyson Piche (Sault Saint Marie, Mich. / Sault Area) had the only multi extra-base hit day with two doubles coming against Capital.

Katie McClure (Manchester, Mich. / Manchester) pitched 5.1 innings in game one to earn the win. She allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits and three strikeouts, though she also had five walks. McClure worked out of trouble in both the first and second innings and was relieved by Jazmine Hamm (Byron Center, Mich. / Byron Center) in the sixth.

Hamm earned the save in game one before picking up the win in game two. She allowed four runs and 10 hits over five innings but also worked out of jams in the fourth and fifth innings that would have extended the game.

How It Happened

• Neumann's first two batters reached base, but McClure retired the next two. The Knights got two runs off an error by Alma third baseman McKenzie Creed (Edwardsburg, Mich. / Edwardsburg) and another on a single up the middle. All of Neumann's runs in the inning were unearned.
• Alma responded with five runs in the bottom half of the inning. The Scots' first seven hitters all reached base, six of them on hits. Cassidy Tucker (Coleman, Mich. / Coleman) led off the inning with a bunt single, followed by a single to the shortstop by Chelsea Schweiger (St. Clair, Mich. / St. Clair). Both players recorded steals while Creed was at the plate, and she brought home Tucker with a single to right field, but Schweiger was thrown out at the plate. Mary Brooks (Portland, Mich. / Portland) then singled to center field and Terwilliger doubled them both home with a shot to the gap in right-center. Piche reached on an error by Neumann's third baseman, allowing Terwilliger to get to third. She scored and Piche got to third with a single to center field by McClure. Piche scored Alma's fifth and final run of the frame on a sacrifice squeeze by Preslee Deater (Grant, Mich. / Grant).
• Both teams scored a run in the third inning. Neumann's came after a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a single through the left side. Alma responded with a single by Deater to right field, which scored Terwilliger who walked to lead off the inning.
• In the fourth, Creed hit a sacrifice fly to left field, plating Tucker, who doubled to lead off the inning to make the score 7-4, Alma.
• Hamm came in in relief with one out in the top of the sixth inning and ended the inning with two groundouts. She recorded the final two outs of the game via strikeout.
• Alma scored in every inning against Capital and scored at least one run in all but the third inning. Its first run came when Creed doubled home Schweiger who singled to shortstop. She scored, herself, when Brooks hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
• The Scots scored five runs in the second inning on six hits. After singles by Kennedy Hilley (Lake Odessa, Mich. / Lakewood) and Bry Chapman (Holt, Mich. / Holt), Tucker doubled down the left field line, scoring Morgan Dubay (Merrill, Mich. / Merrill), who pinch ran for Hilley. After two pop outs, Brooks singled to right field, plating Chapman and Tucker. Terwilliger also singled, and both she and Brooks advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Piche's second double of the season scored both Terwilliger and Brooks to put Alma up 7-0 after two innings.
• Creed picked up her fourth RBI of the day on a single, scoring Hilley who singled through the left side to begin the inning.
• Alma got to 10 runs in the top of the fourth inning. Terwilliger led off the frame with a triple down the right-field line and Piche followed with a walk. After two foul outs, Chapman singled to shortstop, scoring Terwilliger and sending Piche to third. Piche scored on a Tucker single to left field.
• Capital responded with three runs in the bottom half of the inning.
• Deater picked up two RBI with a double to left field in the top of the fifth to give the Scots a 12-3 lead.
• Hamm retired Capital's first two batters in the bottom half of the fifth but loaded the bases on a double, a walk, and a single. The Crusaders picked up a run with a single up the middle, but Alyx Wulff was thrown out at home after a wild pitch to end the game in the fifth due to the mercy rule.

Notables

• McKenzie Creed and Preslee Deater both posted a team-high four RBI on the day.
• Riley Terwilliger went 4-for-4 with a triple and three runs scored against Capital.
• Both Cassidy Tucker and Riley Terwilliger each had multiple extra-base hits on the day, in addition to Piche. Both players had a double against Neumann, while Tucker added another two-bagger against Capital and Terwilliger smacked her team-high third triple of the season.
• Mary Brooks had a game-high three RBI in game two.
• The Scots picked up seven of their 12 runs in the second game with two outs.
• Alma went 8-for-14 with runners on against Neumann, including going 6-for-6 with runners on and less than two outs. It also went 6-for-12 with runners in scoring position and held Neumann to 2-for-9 in such situations.
• Alma went 8-for-13 with two outs against Capital.
• Alma was 13-for-30 in RBI opportunities in both games. Katie McClure was 2-for-2 in such situations in game one; Bry Chapman was 3-for-4 in game two.
• No Alma batters struck out over the day's two games.
• Alma has scored an average of 7.9 runs per game and has allowed 4.4.
• Five Scots continue to hit over .400: Bry Chapman (.538), Cassidy Tucker (.514), Mary Brooks (.455), McKenzie Creed (.444) and Riley Terwilliger (.429). All three players also have slugging percentages over .600.

What's Next

Alma ends its Spring Break trip to Florida with two games on Friday (March 2). It plays Cabrini at 9:00 a.m. and Neumann once more at 11:30 a.m.

Contact: Zach Russo, Assistant Sports Information Director