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Box Score 2 Alma, MI – Alma College Softball welcomed Albion College in to Scots Park on Wednesday. The Scots swept their regular season home finale in dramatic fashion, eking out a 6-5 walk-off win, before steamrolling the Britons 16-1.
Alma 6, Albion 5
Albion scored to open the contest in the 1st inning, with an RBI single giving the visitors a 1-0 lead. Alma was able to hit back in the 2nd inning. Taylor Griffith stepped up with the bases loaded, and smacked a double to the fence, allowing Haley Pimer, Amelia Price, and Avery Vos to score and give Alma a lead at 3-1. Griffith then stole third, and was aided by a Briton error which allowed her to get up and scramble home. The Scots would add another run in the 3rd courtesy of a Vos RBI single to make it 5-1.
Things stayed put until Albion's offense came to life in the 6th. The Britons were able to come all the way back and tie the game at 5-5. An RBI double, and an Alma throwing error accounted for the 4 runs.
Things remained tied until the 7th inning, when Alma was able to put a runner on the paths with a single from Aynslee Koutz, before a single from Emma Fraser moved that runner to third. Danielle Dumoulin then hit a ball to straightaway center, with no chance for the Britons to make a play as Kylie Halverson scored from third base on the sac fly to win the game.
Griffith (2-4, 3 RBI) Dumoulin (0-2, RBI) and Vos (2-3, RBI) accounted for the scoring.
Morgan Westall got the start, going 5.1 innings. She allowed 9 hits and struck out 4 while walking 1. Daniella Little (W, 5-4) came in to pitch in relief, and picked up the win. She allowed just 2 hits in the W.
Alma 16, Albion 1 (5 Innings)
Game two was a clinic by the Scots, and the bats got going early. Taylor Griffith scored to open the game on a throwing error while stealing third that let her come home. A few batters later, Danielle Dumoulin crushed a 2-run homer to left field to extend the lead to 3-0. Still in the 1st, Sophia Somerset singled down the right field line, which saw Avery Vos make it home, bringing the score to 4-0. Alma added another run in the 2nd when Emma Fraser singled down the right field line, similarly to Somerset's RBI single, and Jessica Eva scored.
The big inning came in the 4th. Alma opened up with Griffith reaching on a throwing error by Albion, with Eva scoring on the error. Dumoulin hit her second sac fly of the day to score Griffith a pair of batters later, making it 7-0. That was followed up by Reniegh Sandmann smacking an RBI single to score a pair of runs, moving things to 9-0. Somerset hit an identical RBI single to the one she hit in the 2nd inning, and scored another run in the form of Sandmann. Alma then loaded up the bases, and Sophia Morais hit into a fielder's choice. The Albion throw home was no good, with the catcher failing to step on the plate, and a run scored with Morais out at home. Finally, Griffith scored 2 more runs on her second at bat of the inning. When the dust settled it was 13-0 Alma.
The dust had barely settled, when Alma kicked it right back up again in the 5th. Haley Pimer hit a grounder to short, with an error allowing 2 runs to come around and score. Eva followed up with a single to short stop. It was a great effort for the Briton SS to even stop the ball, and they had no play as one more run scored on the play.
The Brits tacked on 1 run to break up the shutout on a Scots error, but that was all they could manage, with the final at 16-1.
Griffith (2-4, 3 RBI) Dumoulin (1-2, 3 RBI) and Sandmann (1-3, 2 RBI) were responsible for leading the onslaught at the plate.
Mikaylyn Kenney (W, 7-5) pitched all 5.0 innings in the W. She allowed 5 hits, while striking out 2 and walking 1.
With the win, Alma clinches a berth to the MIAA Tournament. All that remains is a twin bill with Olivet on the road come Saturday. This will see Alma determine their final standing, with the Scots sitting in 3rd place, trailing Calvin by 1 game entering the final round of regular season play.
Story: Nick Nemeth, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
