St. Bonifacius, Minn. – Crown softball hosted UMAC foe UW-Superior on Saturday in what was tabbed as the UMAC Game of the Week, and the important conference doubleheader did not disappoint. The Yellowjackets took game one by a 6-4 final and won game two 6-2.
Game one featured some dominant pitching from both teams as
Liz King of the Storm and Macy Hanson of Superior controlled the game through five innings, with an unearned run by UWS the only scoring.
After Superior added a run in the top of the sixth, Crown rallied in the bottom half to take a 3-2 lead.
Janelle Williams, who went 4-5 out of the leadoff spot in game one, singled with one out and moved to second on a single by
Cassidy Valenzuela.
Marissa Becerra delivered an RBI single and took second on a throw to the plate, setting up a second and third with one out situation for cleanup hitter
Sofia Palacios. Palacios delivered a sac fly to left and when the throw home got away, Becerra scored all the way from second base to give Crown an unexpected lead.
Needing at least one run to stay alive, the Yellowjackets were down to their final out with a runner and third. The number nine batter for UWS delivered when it mattered most, looping a single into right field and setting up extra innings.
Both teams continued to be stingy in the field and the game remained at 3-3 heading into the tenth inning, when international tiebreaker rules go into effect. Each team starts the new inning with their last out placed on second base.
The Yellowjackets took advantage, plating three runs in the top half of the tenth.
Crown would not go down without a fight, however, as
Janelle Williams doubled home a run in the bottom half to make the score 6-4. That was as close as the Storm could get, and a thrilling game one finally came to an end.
King was magnificent in the circle, throwing 113 pitches over ten innings while striking out six. The four hits by Williams were half of Crown's total, and the Storm managed just one base hit outside of their top three hitters in the order.
Game two was another even matchup, with timely hitting by Superior being the difference. The Jackets had nine hits to Crown's eight, but plated two runs in the first and third innings to take the early lead.
Pitcher
Cearra Dulaney helped her own cause when she lifted a sacrifice fly to left that scored pinch runner
Kaitlin Ruiter, but a two run homer by Superior on the top of the seventh put Crown in a tough spot, down 6-1 heading into their final at bat.
Williams, who had two more hits in game two, drove an RBI single to right that scored
Sarah Petkau, but again, Crown couldn't complete the comeback attempt.
Dulaney threw seven innings and struck out two, backed up by some stellar defense.
Despite the two losses, Crown proved that last seasons playoff appearance and their hot start to this year are no flukes, and that this team can play with anyone in the conference. As the UMAC season continues over the next two weeks, Crown will play four more conference doubleheaders to determine their place in the postseason. If the playoffs are near as competitive as the start to conference play has been, fans of UMAC softball will be in for a real treat.
