SYLVANIA, Ohio – The Lourdes softball team (7-8, 4-2 in WHAC) remains undefeated at home after defeating the Rochester Christian (RCU) Warriors (8-18, 0-8 in WHAC) twice on Saturday afternoon.

The Gray Wolves won the first game 10-1 in a five-inning mercy that took less than an hour to complete. Lourdes then won game two 9-1 in another five-inning mercy. The Gray Wolves remain in sixth place in the conference and RCU remains in last.

Game 1: W, 10-1 (F/5)
Ace pitcher Mallori Bradley got the start in game one for Lourdes and had her best statistical performance of the year. The senior from Zanesville, Ohio threw a complete game with only three hits allowed, no walks given up, and five strikeouts.

Bradley's lone run she gave up was an inside-the-park home run in the third inning to RCU's leadoff hitting shortstop Jaya Forti. The hit went over Lourdes centerfielder Jessyca Smith's head and to the fence as the outfield was playing severely in on the grass. The win improves Bradley's season record to 2-4 and her E.R.A to 3.61.

On the offensive side, Lourdes struck early with a Jessyca Smith leadoff triple. Ava Auler knocked in Smith with an RBI ground out to second base to take an early 1-0 lead.

With the sun glaring in the outfield, the RCU leftfielder misplayed a ball hit by Lindsey McGann and two more runners came into score as Lourdes went up 3-0 after the first inning. Ava Auler then tacked on her second RBI of the game in the second inning on an RBI single, scoring Jessyca Smith once again.

Smith got into scoring position on a stolen base, one of four for her in the afternoon. Smith came into the game with no stolen bases on the year and she is now second on the team in the category (Cami Heath has six).  

Third baseman Olivia Rompf broke the game open in the third inning with a two-RBI double. First baseman Taylor Leggins added two more runs on an RBI single in the fourth to extend the Gray Wolves' lead to 8-1. Leggins went 3-for-3 in the first game and a combined 5-for-5 in the two games. She had seven total RBI's, two doubles and a home run as well on the afternoon. Leggins' average jumped 98 points from .235 to .333 in her monster breakout day. Leggins talked postgame on her approach at the plate and breaking out of her slump in a major way.

"I just tried to stay calm and stick to what works for me," Leggins said. "I haven't had great at-bats lately, so I just tried to work through each at-bat."

Senior outfielder Lauren Schuller ended the game with a pinch-hit two RBI double to extend the lead to 10-1 and complete the mercy victory.

Game 2: W, 9-1 (F/5)
The second game was eerily similar to the first with dominant pitching, consistent hitting from starters and players off the bench, and elite base running.

Sophomore Cassi Kieper got the start on the mound for Lourdes, and she had a huge bounce back performance from Wednesday's loss to Defiance. Kieper threw the first three innings, only giving up two hits and one unearned run. Kieper walked nobody and struck out three batters. 

Offensively, Jessyca Smith led the game off with a single and later scored on a sequence of a stolen base and wild pitch. Overall, the team's base running was electric in the second game with eight total stolen bases from seven different players. Later in the inning, Taylor Leggins crushed a two-run homerun over the leftfield fence to help Lourdes take a 3-0 lead. The moonshot was her first of her collegiate career.

Leggins later cleared the bases with a gap double in the second inning, giving her five RBI's in the game and helping Lourdes extend their lead to 6-1. Leggins now leads the team with 11 RBI's, which already ties her career-high from last season.

Cami Heath scored Leggins with an RBI single later in the inning to go up 7-1. Olivia Rompf then scored on a wild pitch as Lourdes took an 8-1 lead heading into the third.

Coach Fenton-Bockbrader basically took the entire starting lineup out of the game in the third inning as the Lourdes backups took the field. However, this didn't slow down the offense at all. Abby Sparks hit an RBI single after a seven-pitch battle to take an eight run lead.

Freshman Elena Scott relieved Kieper in the fourth inning and threw two scoreless innings with only one base runner allowed, ending the game in another mercy victory.

Coach Fenton-Bockbrader's Postgame Comments
"Honestly, I'm really proud of this group," Coach Fenton-Bockbrader said. "Both of these wins were a total team effort. We leaned on everyone on the roster today. Every single player found a way to contribute, whether it was on the field, at the plate, or bringing energy from the dugout. That's the kind of team we strive to be—connected, supportive, and ready for any moment. When everyone buys in like that, it makes us really tough to beat. The pitching and the hitting clicked, so it was a great day."

Next Up
Lourdes softball's Senior Day is tomorrow at 1pm as the Gray Wolves take on Lawrence Tech for another home doubleheader. The Blue Devils are one spot ahead of Lourdes in the WHAC standings, so the game could potentially be big for WHAC Tournament seeding.