BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN – In the opening double header of their final road trip of the season, the Ancilla softball team split a double header with Lake Michigan College losing the first game 6-2 and winning the second game 7-6.
Ancilla scored the first and last runs of game one, but in between Lake Michigan piled up six unanswered runs, scattering seven hits along the way. Ancilla was only able to muster five hits in the game and left nine runners on base in the process. Brooke Stout was the only Charger with multiple hits in the first game.
In game two, Ancilla jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first inning. With one out, Morgan Peoni walked, moved to second on a Brittany Probasco single, and scored on a double off the bat of Abbey Renner. One out later, Probasco scored on a Kayte Miller single and Renner scored on a single by Madyson Price.
The Chargers picked up two insurance runs in the fourth inning. Price led off the inning by legging out an infield single and scored on a Mariah Miller double. Miller would later score on a Stout single. The host Redhawks answered with one run in the bottom of the fourth, making the score 5-1.
Ancilla extended their lead to 6-1 in the sixth when Peoni reached base on a fielder’s choice and scored on a Probasco double.
The wheels seemed to fall off for Ancilla in the bottom of the sixth when Lake Michigan tied up the game at 6-6 but the resilient Chargers answered with a run in the top of the seventh. With two outs, Mariah Miller reached base on an error. Pinch runner Ali Cobb moved to second on a single by Allena McElfresh and then scored on a Stout single.
Pitcher Abbey Renner shut down Lake Michigan with a one, two, three inning, her first of the game, in the bottom of the seventh. By picking up her sixteenth win of the season, Renner set an Ancilla record for wins in a season.
“It was an interesting day,” commented Ancilla coach Scott Reese. “We had our chances in game one, but just didn’t convert on enough of the chances we created. In game two, we took a commanding lead, but Lake Michigan fought back with a big sixth inning. I was proud of the way our team came right back to retake the lead in the seventh and then shut them down in the bottom half of the inning.”
Ancilla (17-22, 10-16 MCCAA) travels to Jackson College (13-30, 10-20 MCCAA) tomorrow for their final road game of the season. They return home to take on Grand Rapids Community College (12-26, 11-17 MCCAA) on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
