The Aquinas softball team traveled down the road to take on the Golden Eagles in a huge WHAC rivalry doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon (Apr. 7). AQ's big bats in the first game and clutch hits in extra innings in the second game earned the Saints a pair of victories. Aquinas topped the Golden Eagles by 18-3 and 7-4 scores.
In the first game, the Saints managed to score in every inning but the sixth, totaling a remarkable 18-run total. AQ finished with three home runs, the first one coming in the second inning by lead-off batter Courtney Hardin to make it a 3-0 AQ edge. Three errors that inning from the Golden Eagles left the Saints with the huge 7-0 advantage after the second.
AQ scored once in the top of the fourth on a single from Natalie VanDerHaegen, scoring Breanne Adamczak. The Golden Eagles were able to score a few in the bottom of the inning as CU tallied five hits and three runs. Aquinas still held a 10-3 lead after the fifth.
After a scoreless sixth inning, AQ cracked open the game in the seventh scoring six runs off a Jordan Humitz double, a Haley Myers single, and another home run from Hardin. Aquinas increased the lead to 16-3. The Saints pinch hit five players in the top of the inning, one of them being Halee Holman. Holman came in to pinch hit for Brooke Wila and hit a two-run homer (also scoring pinch hitter Brianna Pastor). The Saints earned the huge 18-3 win after a scoreless bottom of the seventh from the Golden Eagles.
The Saints were led by Darrien Roberts, who finished 5-5 with five RBIs. Wila hit 3-5 and scored four times. Wila also tallied two doubles. Myers hit 2-3 with a run. Hardin hit two home runs, hitting 2-4 and posting four RBIs. Kayla Fessenden pitched the first 3.2 innings and posted two strikeouts. Leah Ash earned the win on the mound for the Saints allowing no hits and adding two strikeouts.
In the second game, the Saints led off with Wila, who doubled to left field. Humitz batted her in on a single to center field and earned AQ the quick 1-0 advantage. Another score for the Saints came in the third inning on a solo home run from Izzy Dawson.
The Saints led 2-0 until the bottom of the fifth, as the Golden Eagles totaled three runs on four hits to grab the slight 3-2 advantage. In the top of the sixth, AQ's I. Dawson singled down the left field line. With a pinch runner on second base for I. Dawson, Hardin hit another home run, this time a two-run homer to grab the advantage back. CU came back in the bottom of the sixth, hitting a solo home run to tie the ball game.
A scoreless seventh inning caused extra innings for the Saints and the Golden Eagles. AQ's I. Dawson again led off the inning for the Saints singling to left field. A double from Humitz scored I. Dawson for the go-ahead run. Another 2-run home run from today's big hitter Hardin earned Aquinas the huge 7-4 advantage. The Saints held off the Golden Eagles in the bottom of the eighth and clinched the sweep over rival Cornerstone.
The two wins advance Aquinas to 13-5 overall and 5-1 in WHAC play. The pair of losses move Cornerstone to a 10-8 overall record and are 3-5 in conference. Ash started on the mound for the Saints, pitching 4.2 innings and totaled six strikeouts. Leah Vaughan earned the win, pitching 3.1 innings and adding three strikeouts of her own to improve herself to a 2-2 record.
Hardin led AQ hitting 3-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. Dawson also hit 3-4 and added two runs and an RBI. Humitz posted two RBIs, hitting 2-4. Wila finished the second game hitting 2-4 with a run.
The Saints are back in action on Saturday (Apr. 10) as AQ travels to Sylvania, Ohio to take on Lourdes in another big WHAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 AM against the Gray Wolves.
