The #14 Aquinas softball team played Rochester in a rescheduled WHAC doubleheader on Thursday (Apr. 21) in Byron Center, Michigan. The Saints made quick work of the Warriors, winning both games 8-0 and 10-1 in five innings a piece. AQ improves its record to 29-5 (9-1 WAHC) on the season, while RU drops to 2-21 (0-16 WHAC) on the year.
GAME 1: Aquinas 8, Rochester 0 (5 innings)
The Saints gained their third shutout of the season in the first game as
Leah Ash and
Nina Bennett combined for the shutout. Ash (12-2) was surgical as she only faced 15 batters through four innings of work and allowed two hits to go along with two strikeouts in the win. Bennett pitched the final inning and worked around two hits by striking out two of the three outs.
In the top of the first inning, the first four runs of the game were scored as AQ was the visitors on the scoreboard.
Courtney Hardin doubled and
Leah Vaughan walked to begin the inning for the Saints. With one out,
Jordan Humitz singled up the middle to plate both runners.
Kaelyn Stafford singled to put two people on the bases again before
Carson Hendrickson brought them both in on a double to left field.
Another three runs were added in the second inning as the Saints kept the pressure on. An error by Rochester opened the door for Aquinas as Hardin doubled for the second time to bring in
Emma Houseman for the fifth run of the game.
Izzy Dawson got in on the fun with a double of her own to right field that scored Hardin. Stafford collected her second single in as many innings with Dawson scoring the seventh run.
The final run came in the fourth inning as AQ loaded the bases on a Stafford triple, an
Ashley Snyder walk, and a Hendrickson infield single. Houseman was able to get Snyder home on a sacrifice fly to center field for 8-0 win.
Stafford was a perfect 4-4 at the plate with three singles and a triple, while Hardin finished with two doubles and Hendrickson collected two hits.
GAME 2: Aquinas 10, Rochester 1 (5 innings)
The duo of
Kayla Fessenden and
Grace Maguire were just as dominant in the circle in game two. Fessenden (11-2) only allowed one run on a solo home run in the third inning, while working around another four hits in four innings. Maguire only needed nine pitches to finish off the final inning of play.
Emily Cline successfully got the attention of the Warriors as she tried to steal second base to allow Stafford to steal home for the first run in the second inning. A couple of errors by RU in the third inning allowed the Saints to score two more runs for the 3-0 lead.
Aquinas responded with six runs in the fourth inning after the Rochester home run. Houseman collected an RBI single to bring in Cline for the first run and then eventually scored on a throwing error at second by the catcher trying to throw out Hardin on a steal. Another error enabled Hardin to score the third run before Stafford ripped a two-RBI single to right center field. Coming up to hit for the second time in the inning, Cline brought in another run on a single.
The last run of the day was scored in the fifth inning as Hardin hit her fourth double of the day that allowed
Haley Myers to come around and score.
It was Hardin who was a perfect 4-4 in game two as Stafford collected another couple of hits. Hardin has had a busy couple of days as she has reached base 14 times in the last four games on two singles, five doubles, a home run, and six walks. She has only gotten out once in the box score, but still reached base on a dropped third strike.
Aquinas will head back out for another road WHAC doubleheader on Saturday (Apr. 23) in Fort Wayne, Indiana against Indiana Tech. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 11:00 AM.
