ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saint Mary's fastpitch softball team experienced the thrill of victory — and the agony of defeat — in its Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader against Macalester Saturday afternoon.
Macalester got a one-out, walk-off single from Sophie Futchko in the bottom of the seventh inning to deal the Cardinals a 4-3 setback in the opener. But it was the Cardinals who would turn the tables in the nightcap with some late-game heroics of their own, scoring what proved to be the game-winning run on a Scot wild pitch in the top of the seventh inning to secure a 6-5 victory — and a split of the teams' conference twinbill.
GAME 1: LATE-GAME HEARTBREAK
The Cardinals struck first in the opener, getting an RBI groundout off the bat of
Sophie Cave (Maplewood, Minn.) to score
Riley Hall (Dallas Center, Iowa), who had reached on a one-out single, advanced to second on a walk to
Heather Nordlund and moved to third on a passed ball.
Macalester answered in its half of the second to pull even, before adding single runs in the third and fifth to grab a 3-1 cushion.
Saint Mary's came up with a pair of clutch run-scoring infield hits from
Mackenzie Carey (Prescott, Wis.) and
Sarah Kraus (Onalaska, Wis.) in the sixth to pull even, only to have Macalester foil Saint Mary's late-game rally in the bottom of the seventh on a one-out, walk-off single by Sophie Futchko.
Carey, Kraus,
Erin Sullivan (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.), and
Cassie Sutor (Chicago, Ill.) accounted for Saint Mary's four Game 1 hits — all singles – off Macalester starter Kaitlyn Pistorius.
GAME 2: LATE-GAME CELEBRATION
The Scots appeared to be in complete control in the nightcap, scoring five times in their first at-bat to grab what appeared to be an insurmountable five-run advantage.
Saint Mary's, however, was unfazed. The Cardinals erupted for four runs on four hits in the third inning — including RBI singles by Carey and
Anna Kelly (Victoria, Minn.) — to cut the deficit to one, 5-4.
And the Cardinals were just getting warmed up.
Hall delivered a game-tying, RBI single in the sixth to pull the Cardinals even, 5-5 — and set up their seventh-inning heroics.
Sullivan led off the SMU seventh with a single.
Michelle Doering (St. Lous Park, Minn.), in to pinch-run for Sullivan, stole second, was sacrificed to third, and scored one out late what proved to be the game-winning run.
Ally Wagner (Altoona, Wis.), who pitched the final three innings for the Cardinals, set the Scots down in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win — and the conference split.
Hall, Nordlund, Cave, and Kelly all finished with two hits for the Cardinals, who also got singles from Sullivan and Carey.
The Cardinals (5-6 MIAC, 12-10 overall) are back in action on Tuesday, when they return home for a 3:30 p.m. conference doubleheader against Bethel.
