Morris, Minn. – In what has been an exciting start to the 2016 UMAC softball season, the doubleheader between Crown and Minnesota Morris did not break from that script. Crown won game one 3-1 in eight innings, and came back to win game two 6-5.
Liz King was fantastic in the circle in game one, throwing all eight innings and limiting the Cougars to just one run on five hits, while recording eight strikeouts.
Moriah Sawyer gave Crown the lead, scoring the game's first run in the top of the seventh with an RBI walk, but the Cougars answered back with a two-out RBI double and
Cassidy Valenzuela then saved the game, making a sliding catch for the third out of the seventh.
Crown wasted no time in extra innings, scoring twice in the eighth.
Marissa Becerra doubled to lead off the inning and came in on a
Sofia Palacios single. Pinch runner
Demi Brezina would later score on an RBI groundout by
Cearra Dulaney and Crown would hold in the bottom half for the win.
Becerra and Dulaney each had two hits to lead the team.
Game two didn't take near as long to get interesting, with the Cougars holding a 3-1 advantage after the first inning, and Crown closing the gap to 4-3 after three. The Storm then jumped out to a 6-4 advantage before the Cougars pulled a run back in the bottom of the sixth. Crown would hold in the final frame, wining 6-5 and improving to 5-1 in conference play.
Liz King earned her second win of the day, coming on in relief in game two and throwing five innings of two hit ball, allowing just an unearned run in the process.
King also starred at the plate, going 2-4 with a pair of RBI, joining Palacios with a two-hit game two. Every Crown starter recorded a hit and each of Crown's six runs were scored by a different player in a balanced effort.
Crown will be back in action at home this Saturday with a vital UMAC doubleheader against UW-Superior on tap for a 1 p.m. first pitch. To add extra drama to the affair, the games have been selected as the UMAC game of the Week.
