CLERMONT, Fla. - The Kalamazoo College softball team split its first two games in Florida, defeating Middlebury 11-8 before falling 8-4 to Western New England on Thursday.
Kalamazoo vs. Middlebury
Kalamazoo scored two in the first and three in the second to take a 5-0 lead. The Hornets went up 10-0 with five runs in the fourth, but a four-run inning by Middlebury in the bottom half kept the Panthers in the game. Kalamazoo went up 11-4 in the top of the seventh, but the Panthers came back with four more in the bottom half before ending the game with a runner on second.
Kalamazoo scored 11 runs on 15 hits, improving to 2-1. Middlebury finished with eight runs on 12 hits, falling to 5-4 overall.
Jordan Wesaw led Kalamazoo with four hits, including a double, two RBIs and three runs scored.
Bella Caza had three hits and five RBIs. Lizzy Rottenberk had three hits while scoring four times. Landrie Fridsma had three hits with an RBI and two runs scored.
Jordan Cook struck out four while improving to 2-0 on the season.
Kalamazoo vs. Western New England
Western New England scored three in the top of the first but Kalamazoo tied it with three in the bottom half. Kalamazoo took a 4-3 lead in the second and held the lead until the fifth when Western New England scored a run. The Golden Bears scored two in the sixth and two in the seventh to take the 8-4 win.
Western New England scored eight runs on 10 hits, improving to 5-5 overall. Kalamazoo scored four runs on eight hits, falling to 2-2.
Landrie Fridsma led the Hornets with two hits and an RBI. Lizzy Rottenberk had a triple and scored on a throwing error for Kalamazoo's first run of the game.
Maddy Vrba struck out four in five and two-thirds innings. Cecilia Schihl struck out three in one and a third.
Up Next
Kalamazoo plays Wisconsin-Whitewater on Friday morning, followed by Ramapo in the afternoon. Both games are scheduled for Hancock Park in Clermont, Fla.