Middleville, Mich. – The Aquinas softball squad extended its win streak to six games to start the 2024 campaign yesterday (Mar. 1). AQ picked up two more mercy wins as both games against Olivet Nazarene University were called short as a result of Aquinas' eight-run lead. The Saints won the first game 10-2 in six innings and the second matchup 8-0 in five innings.
The Saints continue to crush the ball offensively. AQ ranks fourth in the country with a team batting average of .399 through six games. Incredibly, the softball team is averaging 8.17 runs per game with the team cracking double-digit run totals in four of the six games. More impressively, the Saints are scoring at a rate of 1.44 runs per inning.
Game 1: Aquinas 10, Olivet Nazarene 2 (6 Innings)
Grace Maguire got the start in the circle and made quick work of the Tigers, allowing just one hit in the first in a rather uneventful start to the game. That changed quickly in the bottom half of the frame as
Courtney Hardin got the offensive fireworks going. The speedy
McKenna Hinkle reached base on a walk and then stole second. Three batters later, Hardin launched a ball over the center field wall for her first home run of the season.
The game quieted down a bit until the third inning when an Aquinas error resulted in a pair of Tigers runs to tie the game. However, AQ continued its two-out magic in the bottom of the inning when Hardin walked and
Katie Carlson, a true freshman, hit her first career home run to give the Saints the lead back.
Aquinas did the remainder of its damage in the fifth and sixth innings. Hardin recorded another extra-base hit to score
Emma Houseman in the fifth. The Saints then proceeded to double their lead with a five-run inning in the sixth.
RBIs from
Kim Sosnowski,
Ashley Snyder, Hardin, and
Darrien Roberts put AQ ahead by eight runs to call the game early. Maguire earned her second win of the season after pitching all six innings. She allowed no earned runs and eight hits with a strikeout.
Game 2: Aquinas 8, Olivet Nazarene 0 (5 innings)
The second game was all Aquinas from the start. Hardin hit yet another RBI in the bottom of the first with a single to give AQ an early lead.
Haley Myers went on to extend that lead to three in the second inning as the WHAC Player of the Week smoked the ball over the right field fence for her first homer of 2024.
AQ effectively called the game in the third inning with a massive five-run frame. Hardin walked again and stole second before an error allowed Carlson to reach base and steal second herself to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Roberts and
Kaelyn Stafford singled to bring both runners home.
Olivet Nazarene brought in a new pitcher, but that made little difference.
Carson Hendrickson and Snyder ripped doubles and Myers picked up her seventh total base of the game with a triple to bring the Saints lead to eight.
AQ retired the next six Tigers batters to end the quick second game.
Sophia Pavese improved to 3-0 with another impressive outing today. She pitched four scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and no walks. Her ERA over three games is now just 0.91 and she has not allowed more than two hits in any of her outings.
Sydney Bosgraaf pitched the final inning of the game and retired the side as the freshman continued to impress as well.
By the Numbers
Hardin batted a perfect 1.000 yesterday with three hits, five RBIs, seven total bases, two walks, and a stolen base as the three-time all-conference catcher continued the hot start to the season.
Roberts also had three hits with three RBIs. Sosnowski, Myers, and Snyder all joined the multi-hit club, helping the Saints to a .367 team batting average over the two games.
Up Next
The Saints will be looking to keep their momentum rolling down in Florida. Their Space Coast games start a week from today (Mar. 9) with games against Marian, Bethel, and Saint Francis.
