KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Hosting its first home series of 2017, the Kalamazoo College softball team swept the visiting Manchester University Spartans picking up the Hornets first two wins of the season. K took game one, 6-1, and game two, 5-4.
Game One
The Hornets wasted little time getting themselves on the scoreboard in game one as Erin DuRoss singled to right center in the bottom of the first driving in Andrea MacMicheal giving K the 1-0 lead early.
The Spartans countered in the top of the third as Kate Skeens singled up the middle off DuRoss leveling the score.
But it was all DuRoss and all Hornets down the stretch. The senior All-MIAA first team selection drove in three more runs as the Hornets tacked on a total of five more runs in the game's final three innings of play.
DuRoss led the Hornets' offense going 3-for-4 with four RBI and was also credited with the win on the bump while striking out 12 Spartans.
Isabella Kirck and Alyssa Heitkamp also ended the day with two hits.
Game Two
In contrast to game one, the Hornets played the role of a comeback crew in game two. Manchester jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second before the Hornets cut the deficit to one on a Hayleigh Alamo sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth.
After the Hornets tied the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth, the Spartans made their seventh inning push to win the game scoring on a sacrifice fly looking to close out the game in the bottom half with a 4-3 lead.
But K had other plans. Fiona Summers led off the inning with a single through the right side and Andrea MacMichael walked putting the go-ahead run on base. After both runners advanced on a wild pitch, Isabella Kirck singled up the middle scoring both for the walk-off win.
The Hornets recorded four of their five hits in the game during the final two innings of play.
With the wins, Kalamazoo improves to 2-4 on the season. The Hornets will take a nine day break from competition before heading down to Florida for ten games between March 16 and March 21.