The #14 Aquinas softball team traveled to Fort Wayne, Indiana to take on Indiana Tech in a WHAC conference doubleheader on Saturday (Apr. 23). The Saints suffered their first sweep defeat of the season as the Warriors were able to win both games by the scores of 8-7 and 5-1. AQ now has a record of 29-7 (9-3 WHAC) on the season, while IT improved to 20-19 (13-5 WHAC) in 2022.
GAME 1: Indiana Tech 8, Aquinas 7
The Warriors opened up the scoring in the first and were able to take a 1-0 lead on a single up the middle, but the Saints came back with a couple of runs in the fourth to have a 2-1 advantage.
Izzy Dawson and
Kaelyn Stafford both singled in the inning to put runners on first and third. Stafford took off, trying to steal second as an error allowed her to get to third and for
Kenzie Jordan (a pinch runner for Dawson) to come home.
Emma Houseman then lifted a sacrifice fly out to center field to bring home Stafford for the lead.
That lead was short lived as IT scored three runs in the fourth and another two in the fifth to have the scoreboard read 6-1.
Leah Ash started the game in the circle for the Saints and was pulled after two outs in the fourth, giving up four runs on six hits.
Nina Bennett replaced her and pitched an inning, allowing two runs on a hit and a walk.
Grace Maguire got the last out in the fifth inning and threw a clean sixth inning with two strikeouts.
The Saints started to mount a comeback in the sixth as
Leah Vaughan, Dawson, and
Jordan Humitz all singled to load the bases and Stafford drew a walk to cut the deficit to three. AQ ended up taking the lead in the seventh with four runs on two home runs. The first came off the bat of
Darrien Roberts, who led off the inning with a solo shot for her third of the season. Stafford followed a Dawson single and Humitz walk with her sixth home run of the season. This three-run shot gave Aquinas a 7-6 lead heading into the last half inning.
However, Indiana Tech collected three singles in the inning, the last scoring the two runs for the walk-off win. Ash (12-3) came back in to pitch the seventh and got two outs before surrendering the two runs for the loss.
Dawson went 3-3 at the plate with a run and Stafford drove in a team-high four runs, while collecting two hits and a walk.
GAME 2: Indiana Tech 5, Aquinas 1
It was AQ that was able to grab the lead first in game two in the second inning as
Carson Hendrickson drove in Stafford on a single to center field.
An error on the Saints in the third allowed three runs to eventually score in the inning as the Warriors took a 3-1 lead. The final two runs crossed the plate in the sixth on two singles and a double.
Kayla Fessenden (11-3) took the loss after pitching into the sixth inning, allowing five runs (two earned) on eight hits and an error with five strikeouts. Vaughan came in to finish the inning on a flyout and a double play.
Roberts and Hendrickson collected two hits a piece with Hendrickson driving in the only run.
Aquinas continues its travel to Lima, Ohio to face UNOH on Sunday (Apr. 24), with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 PM.
