Alma, MI – Alma College Softball continued MIAA conference play on Thursday when they welcomed in Hope College for a pair of games. Alma split the day, winning game one 2-1, before falling 3-2 in game two.
 
Alma 2, Hope 1
Hope scored the opening runs in what would turn out to be a defensive game in the 3^rd inning of game one. An RBI single allowed the Flying Dutch to take a lead, with Alma trailing 1-0 into the late innings.

In the bottom of the 6^th inning, Peyton Fether led off with a single to left field. Sydni Wolverton entered the game to pinch run, and a sac bunt moved her over to second base. Julia Duncan then hit a single to center field, with Wolverton rounding third and coming home to score. With the game tied at 1-1, the Scots pinch ran Katelyn Thomas for Duncan. Thomas moved to second with another sac bunt before a Hope error allowed her to scamper home as the go-ahead run.

Two flyouts and a strikeout later, the Scots had come away with a smash-and-grab victory in game one.

Reneigh Sandmann, Fether, Duncan, and Somerset delivered the four hits in game one for Alma.

Morgan Westall pitched all 7.0 innings in the win, striking out 10 batters while allowing just four hits and two walks.
 
Hope 3, Alma 2
In game two, it was Alma who would strike first. The Scots got on the board in the 3^rd inning, when a two out single from Fether set up Morgan Brandau. The senior crushed a two-run homer to center field to put Alma up 2-0.

Hope got a run back in the 5^th on a sac fly to halve the deficit. The Flying Dutch were able to walk things off in the 7^th inning to claim a 3-2 victory.

Alma collected six hits in the loss, led by Jordyn Porter with a hit and a walk.
 
Mikaylyn Kenney pitched 6.0 innings in the loss, striking out two. Westall came on in relief in the 7^th.

Alma looks ahead to a pair of games at Kalamazoo College.