By Mitch Blankespoor
CLERMONT, Fla. – For the third consecutive day, the Kalamazoo College softball team split a pair of games. On Monday, Mar. 24, Kalamazoo fell to Elmhurst (Ill.) 8-0 in the morning but rebounded to defeat Hamline (Mn.) 3-2.
In the loss to Elmhurst, Kalamazoo prevented the big inning, but the Bluejays scored in five of the seven innings played. Kalamazoo managed two hits in the game, one by junior Querubin Debois and the other by freshman Kennedy Boulton.
Freshman Tracy Shuryan took the loss for Kalamazoo allowing four earned runs in two innings of work.
In the victory over Hamline, Kalamazoo had to rally from an early deficit. After the Hornets scored a run in the top of the first on an RBI single from junior Abby Anderson, the Pipers scored two runs in the home half of the inning.
The Hornets got the leadoff runner on in the second but failed to plate a run. Kalamazoo junior pitcher Victoria Najacht stranded a base runner in the bottom of the second to keep the Hornets within a run.
The very next inning, the Hornets struck. Sophomore Dana Page reached base with a single and put herself in scoring position by stealing second base. Junior Maddy Sinkovich drove in Page to tie the game 2-2.
Neither team would score until the sixth inning when Boulton singled and got to second via a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Katie George singled driving in the go-ahead run.
That single by George proved to be the game-winning hit. Freshman Erin DuRoss, who relieved Najacht in the fifth inning, shut down the Hamline offense in the final two innings.
DuRoss earned the victory giving up no hits in the final three innings. Najacht scattered three hits over her four innings of work.
"We had great performances from Victoria [Najacht] and Erin [DuRoss]," Kalamazoo Head Coach Sue Mattice said. "It was a great team win."
Six different Hornets collected hits in the victory. Page also added two walks to her day making her the only Hornet to reach base three times.
Kalamazoo improves to 3-3 on the season. The Hornets return to action Mar. 26 from games against Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 3:00 p.m. and St. Catherine (Mn.) at 5:00 p.m.