Grand Rapids, Mich. – The AQ softball team had two more important conference games on the slate today (Apr. 19) with the Saints playing a pair of games against Lawrence Tech (17-16). These were two crucial games with Aquinas holding a one-game advantage over UNOH for second place in the WHAC standings.
The Saints prevented a comeback attempt from the Blue Devils in the first game for a 5-4 victory. AQ then turned around and won the second game 9-2 after a massive seven-run fourth inning.
AQ's sweep over LTU improves the Saints' record to 30-12 on the season with a 13-3 WHAC record. Lawrence Tech falls to 17-18 on the season with an 8-10 conference record.
Game 1: Aquinas 5, Lawrence Tech 4
The game started with both teams picking up a hit in the first inning, but neither side drove a run across the plate. Lawrence Tech got the scoring started in the second inning after a pair of hits and an error helped the Blue Devils bring a runner across home plate.
Haley Myers started a massive bottom of the second inning after reaching first base on an error.
Kaelyn Stafford and
Carson Hendrickson followed that at-bat with back-to-back doubles to give AQ its first lead of the game.
Emma Houseman kept the rally going with a single down the left field line to put runners on the corners. Houseman then stole second to put two runners in scoring position.
McKenna Hinkle,
Darrien Roberts, and
Leah Vaughan hit three consecutive singles following the stolen base to drive in two more runs and give the Saints six straight hits.
Lawrence Tech finally managed to get out of the inning with a bases-loaded jam, but not before AQ claimed a 4-1 advantage.
LTU only had one hit in the top of the third, but that hit was driven over the center field wall to give LTU its second run of the game.
Following the Blue Devil home run,
Leah Ash really began to get into her groove as she retired the next nine Lawrence Tech batters into the top of the sixth inning. LTU finally strung a couple of hits together in the sixth to bring a run across the plate. Then, with two outs, a fielding error allowed Lawrence Tech to bring a runner around the bases to tie the game at four.
Izzy Dawson looked to get AQ back on the board in the bottom of the sixth with a leadoff double into right center.
Jessica Dobias pinch ran for Dawson on second and managed to score a run after a fielding error from the Lawrence Tech second baseman two at-bats later. That would be the lone run that the Saints scored in the inning as they now led 5-4.
Ash returned to the circle in the top of the seventh inning as she looked to finish what she started. Ash finished the game with her 13th win of the season after retiring the side. Ash allowed just six hits and two earned runs with no walks and two strikeouts in the win.
Houseman ended the game a perfect 3-3 at the plate with three singles, two stolen bases, and an RBI.
Game 2: Aquinas 9, Lawrence Tech 2
LTU started the second game hot with a leadoff home run over the right-center wall. The Blue Devils followed that home run with a double and a single to take a quick 2-0 lead.
Kayla Fessenden settled in to pick up three outs over the next four at-bats to keep the score at 2-0.
Houseman remained hot as she worked a long count at the plate and eventually drew a walk in the bottom of the first. She then stole second to put a runner in scoring position with one out. Dawson stepped into the box at ripped a double into left-center to score Houseman and score AQ's first run of the game.
With two outs, Stafford stepped into the box and hit a single to left field. The left fielder committed a fielding error that allowed Dawson to round third and head home to tie the game at two.
Neither team scored any runs until Aquinas set up an offensive explosion in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hendrickson walked to start the inning and
Ashley Snyder pinch-ran for her and stole second base.
Taylor Charon stepped up to the plate and hit a single through the left side of the infield to put runners on the corners with no outs.
Kim Sosnowski kept the hitting streak alive with a two-RBI double to right center to put AQ on the board again.
Jessica Dobias struck out to give AQ one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Roberts got the bats going again on the ensuing at-bat to put runners on the corners again.
Roberts stole second and Houseman dropped down a perfect bunt to score the runner on third and, once again, put runners on the corners. Houseman was allowed to steal second uncontested as LTU didn't want Roberts running home on the throw.
Dawson followed suit with a perfect bunt of her own to score Roberts and move Houseman over to third.
Courtney Hardin then stepped into the box and smoked a double to the center field wall to score Houseman and move Dawson to third. Aquinas was now in the driver's seat of the game with a 7-2 lead.
Stafford walked on the next at-bat to load the bases with just one out. Snyder followed Stafford's walk with a grounder to the third baseman. The LTU third baseman threw the ball home for the force out, but the catcher overthrew first base in an attempt to end the inning with a double play. The error allowed Hardin to score from second and for Stafford to reach third base.
That error would prove costly as a wild pitch allowed Stafford to score from third for a 9-2 lead.
The Blue Devils earned a couple of base runners in the top of the fifth inning, but Fessenden shut out the visitors for the fourth consecutive inning to keep the score at 9-2.
Grace Maguire entered the game in the top of the sixth inning and retired six straight batters between the sixth and seventh innings to end the game 9-2 in favor of AQ.
Fessenden earned her 11th win of the season after allowing eight hits and two earned runs with a pair of strikeouts.
Dawson ended the second game after batting 2-3 at the dish with a double, a single, two RBI, and a run scored.
In total, eight different Saints picked up a hit en route to AQ's win.
Up next for the Saints is a trip to UM-Dearborn this weekend (Apr. 22). The doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM at Wayne State University.
