The Aquinas softball team has now won 10 games in a row after winning another three games on Wednesday (Mar. 9) in Tucson, Arizona. The Saints ended the first two games in five innings after topping William Penn 10-2 and Dakota Wesleyan 12-1, while also defeating Dickinson State 10-3 in the final game. AQ, who is receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top-25 Poll that came out today, now has a record of 13-3 on the season and are 10-1 in Arizona.

GAME 1: Aquinas 10, William Penn 2 (5 innings)

The Statesmen scored their only two runs of the game in the first inning on an RBI double, but after that it was all AQ on the way to an eight-run win.

The Saints responded in a big way after sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring six runs in the first inning. A triple by Emma Houseman to open the inning and back-to-back walks by Courtney Hardin and Izzy Dawson loaded the bases with no outs. Houseman trotted home on an RBI single by Jordan Humitz before Hardin scored on a wild pitch for the first two runs. Carson Hendrickson loaded the bases again with another walk and then Kayla Fessenden cleared the bases with a grand slam over the left field fence for her first home run of the season. 

The runs kept scoring in the second as Humitz doubled to center field to bring in Dawson and then Hendrickson brought in Humitz to score on a single to center. Houseman lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Leah Vaughan in the third and Humitz's third home run of the season rounded out the scoring in the fourth.

Leah Ash moves to 5-1 on the season after pitching four innings and allowing two runs on five hits and a walk, while striking out three. Nina Bennett threw the final inning and sent WPU down in order on a strikeout, groundout, and flyout. 

Humitz had a monster game at the plate by going 3-3 with three RBI and three runs scored. Vaughan also finished with two hits, while Fessenden had the four RBI on the grand slam.

GAME 2: Aquinas 12, Dakota Wesleyan 1 (5 innings)

The hot bats carried over into the second game against DWU has Dawson blasted her second home run this year to put AQ on top 1-0 in the first. The Tigers scored their only run of the game on a bases loaded walk in the second inning to tie the game up.

After that, it was all the Saints starting with two runs scoring in the second inning on a sacrifice fly by Breanne Adamczak that brought in Ashley Snyder and a single by Haley Myers that scored Christyona Arballo. Kaelyn Stafford added one more run in the third inning on her third home run of the season.

The big inning for Aquinas came in the fourth as seven runs came around to score. Myers got it going with a double to left center field to brought in Emily Cline and Adamczak to score. Taylor Charon then reached on a fielder's choice after she laid down a sacrifice bunt that allowed Adamczak. A single by Dawson was able to bring in Myers and then a double by Snyder plated both Halee Holman and Charon. Arballo's single scored Humitz and Snyder as Adamczak came up to hit again and brought in the final run on a single with Houseman crossing the plate.

Vaughan received a no decision after starting the game in the circle and going one and two-thirds innings, while giving up an unearned run on three walks and an error. Bennett relieved Vaughan in the second inning and got AQ out of a jam. She upped her record to 3-0 after pitching two and a third innings of scoreless softball with two strikeouts. Grace Maguire pitched the final inning and worked around two hits to preserve the shutout.

The duo of Snyder (3-3, two runs, and two RBI) and Myers (3-4, two RBI, and a run) led the charge offensively, while Dawson and Arballo also had multi-hit games. Dawson, Arballo, and Adamczak all also had two RBI a piece.

GAME 3: Aquinas 10, Dickinson State 3

The third game of the day against Blue Hawks was close through two innings before the Saints blew it open in the fifth. AQ scored four runs before DSU could come to the plate. Humitz was able to reach on an error that allowed Hardin to score after she reached on a fielder's choice earlier in the inning. With the bases loaded, a wild pitch allowed Dawson to come in and score the second run. Snyder was able to make the defense pay for the error by singling to center field to plate Houseman and Stafford.

Dickinson State got two runs back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single and a fielder's choice to make the score 4-2. A single by Houseman in the second inning got a run back as Humitz crossed the plate. However, the Blue Hawks came right back with a run of their own in the second on a single. 

AQ's big inning came in the fifth as five runs scored to put the game out of reach. Another error on DSU allowed Snyder to score to give the Saints a three-run lead. Adamczak then hit a ground-rule double down the right field line that bounced over the fence and brought in Myers and Hardin. Houseman drove in the final two runs of the day with a single up the middle to plate Dawson and Adamczak.

Fessenden went the distance and improved her record to 4-1 this year. In the seven innings, she allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and a walk, while striking out one.

Vaughan was 3-3 at the plate with Dawson, Houseman, and Snyder all collecting two hits a piece. Houseman drove in three runs as Adamczak and Synder had two RBI as well.

Aquinas will have an off day tomorrow before playing another two games on Friday (Mar. 11) against Concordia (Neb.) at 2:15 PM and Roosevelt at 6:45 PM in Arizona.