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Printer-Friendly ModeSoftball wins three over weekend
Cards sweep Findlay, split with Ashland
April 21, 2008 —
Thanks in large part to strong pitching, the Cardinals softball team won three out of four games over the weekend.
Against Findlay on Saturday, the Cardinals swept the double header, winning the first game 5-3, and the second game 9-0.
In the first game, junior pitcher Stacy Kraatz picked up her eleventh win of the season, pitching 6.1 innings, allowing eight hits while striking out five.
Freshman pitcher Jade Fulton came in to get the final two outs for her fifth save of the season.
Findlay took an early two run lead before the Cards scored three runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead.
Junior outfielder Marsha Beaubien started the third inning rally with a single. She then managed to get all the way to third, first by stealing second and then a passed ball advanced her to third.
The Cards took the lead for good in the fourth on a two run homerun by freshman outfielder Jillian Peterson.
The second game lasted only five innings because of the mercy rule, as Fulton picked up her seventh win of the season. She allowed only one hit, while also striking out seven in the dominating win.
For the second game in a row, Kraatz hit a home run, this time hitting a three run home run that gave the Cards an early three run lead.
In the second inning, Kraatz knocked in Kaiser and Peterson for her fourth and fifth RBI, with a bases loaded single.
Beaubien completed the scoring with a three run home run in the third inning.
On Sunday, the Cards split a double header with Ashland, dropping the first game by a score of 5-4, while winning the second game in extra innings 1-0.
The Cards took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Kaiser lead off with a single, although she ended up at third due to a throwing error by Ashland. Junior shortstop Nicole Fick singled to bring in Kaiser for the RBI.
Junior second baseman Vanessa Briggs knocked in Kraatz with an RBI to complete the scoring for the inning.
Ashland responded in back to back innings, scoring two runs in the third, and then adding three runs in the fourth to take a 5-2 lead.
The Cards managed only four hits, but in the top of the eighth inning, after Beaubien reached on an error, Kaiser tripled, scoring Beaubien for the winning run.
Fulton pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the inning to pick up the victory.
With girls on second and third with two outs, Fulton got the last batter to line out to center field, which ended the defensive struggle.
The Cards improved to 24-12 overall, 9-5 in the GLIAC, while Ashland fell to 20-13 overall, 9-7 in the GLIAC.