Playing at Gray Wolf Field on an unseasonably warm day, Lourdes opened the 2024 season on Friday afternoon sweeping a twinbill from Ohio Christian 14-6 and 7-3.
 
"I was really proud of how our team started off the season today," head coach Caitlin Blanchard said.  "The bats were hot up and down the lineup and we ran the bases well.  Defensively we started rocky both games but settled in and finished strong."
 
Lourdes fell behind early in the opener, giving up a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning.  The Gray Wolves got one run back in the second on a RBI double by Olivia Hickman (Trenton, Mich./Trenton H.S.), one of two doubles for her in the game.
 
Ohio Christian scored two more runs in the third to build a 4-1 lead, but the Gray Wolves tied the contest in the third on an infield hit by Brooke Albert (Edgewood, Ky./Dixie Heights H.S.) that plated two and a double by Jaylen Jackson (Newark, Ohio/Newark H.S.). 
 
Annalisse Palma (Battle Creek, Mich./Lakeview H.S.) put Lourdes in front with a two-out double in the fourth, only to see the Trailblazers answer with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth.  Hickman then put Lourdes ahead for good with a two-run single in the fifth.  The Gray Wolves broke the game open, ending it on the run rule after scoring seven times in the sixth.  Lourdes sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning, ending with a Palma single with two outs to plate the final run.
 
Palma and Hickman each had three hits in the opener with Hickman and Albert each tallying four runs batted in.  Albert and Jackson both had two hits as part of the team's 12-hit attack.
 
In the circle, Berlynn Keller (Ottawa Lake, Mich./Whiteford H.S.) started and worked three innings before Taylor Leggins (Parma, Ohio/Normandy H.S.) came on in relief, striking out three in three innings without allowing an earned run to earn her first collegiate win.
 
"In the circle in game one, Berlynn and Taylor complimented each other well," Blanchard added.  "Taylor looked really comfortable in her collegiate debut and commanded the zone well."
 
Palma started game two quickly for Lourdes, homering to lead off the bottom of the first.  The Gray Wolves added a pair of unearned runs in the second on RBI hits by Emily Wallace (Thornville, Ohio/Lakewood H.S.) and Palma, only to have Ohio Christian (0-2) tie the game with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth.
 
Hickman's fifth RBI of the day gave Lourdes a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth before Emily Robinson (Riverview, Mich./Riverview H.S.) singled home one and Megan Richardson (Napoleon, Ohio/Napoleon H.S.) added two more RBI to give the Gray Wolves some insurance.
 
Kirsten Smith (Marysville, Mich./Marysville H.S.) went the distance in the circle, fanning four and walking just one while scattering seven hits for the win.
 
"Kirsten did an awesome job of getting ahead of the hitters and adjusted well when the hitters started figuring her out," Blanchard said.  "Most importantly, the team was focused, energized, and supportive of one another."
 
Wallace went 3-for-3 in the nightcap while Pama and Rachel Mease (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville H.S.) each added two hits in the 11-hit effort.
 
Lourdes (2-0) will return to the diamond next Friday, Feb. 16, as the Gray Wolves host Huntington for a doubleheader.  Those games are scheduled to be played indoors at Total Sports in Rossford, Ohio beginning at 1 p.m.