For the second consecutive day Lourdes split a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference doubleheader as the Gray Wolves won the opener on Thursday 4-1 against Indiana Tech before dropping game two 10-7 at Gray Wolf Field.
"We had a solid performance today," head coach
Caitlin Blanchard said afterwards. "I really think our team is getting better every game. Our team is competing well and playing quality softball, we just need to keep finding ways to win.."
Kirsten Smith (Marysville, Mich./Marysville H.S.) went the distance in the opener, only allowing a one-out home run in the third while scattering five hits to pick up the victory (4-5) in the circle. Smith struck out nine while walking just two.
Trailing 1-0 heading to the bottom of the fifth, Lourdes mounted a two-out rally.
Annalisse Palma (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview H.S.) doubled home
Megan Richardson (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon H.S.) and Smith before scoring herself one batter later on a two-bagger by
Emily Wallace (Thornville, Ohio/Lakewood H.S.).
Lourdes added an insurance run with two outs in the sixth. Smith reached on a throwing error that allowed pinch-runner
Maddie Wagner (Sycamore, Ohio/Wynford H.S.) to cross the plate, giving the Gray Wolves the 4-1 advantage.
Palma and
Ashleigh Riffle (Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon H.S) had two hits each in game one as Lourdes tallied seven as a team.
"Our offense was able to plate runs when we needed them in the first game," Blanchard added. "Kirsten pitched really solidly. Her pitching and our defense kept us in that game."
In game two, Indiana Tech (10-17, 5-3 WHAC) scored a run in the opening inning before Palma answered with her first home run of the season to straightaway center to lead off the bottom half of the inning. The Warriors would retake the lead with a run in the second and two more in the third before plating three in the fifth to build a 7-1 advantage.
Wallace drove home a run in the bottom of the fifth with a single only to see the Warriors match the run in the top of the sixth.
Ella Leonard (Lorain, Ohio/Midview H.S.) added a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth to make it a 8-3 game.
Indiana Tech tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the seventh before Lourdes made a late game comeback attempt. With two outs in the seventh,
Brooke Albert (Edgewood, Ky./Dixie Heights H.S.) doubled home two before Richards followed with a two RBI single, pulling the Gray Wolves within three, 10-7. Lourdes was unable to complete the comeback, leaving the potential tying run on deck as the game ended.
"In the second game we had to utilize a lot of pitchers and unfortunately we couldn't stop the bleeding well enough to give our offense a chance," Blanched stated. "I was really proud of the team during game two because we didn't quit and competed until the very last pitch."
Riffle and Richardson each had two of the Gray Wolves' eight hits in game two.
Lourdes (7-12, 2-4) takes to the road on Saturday afternoon as the Gray Wolves travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. to face Concordia (Mich.). First pitch in game one of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m. at Cardinal Field.
