(Grand Rapids, MI) - The Concordia Cardinals Softball team headed to the west side of the state for a doubleheader against the Saints from Aquinas in a pair of rescheduled Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) games.
The Cardinals entered the day with a 26-12 overall record and 6-4 in WHAC games. The Saints came into the doubleheader at 26-10 overall and 9-1 in WHAC.
GAME 1 - AQUINAS 5, CONCORDIA 3
Paige Anderson took the mound to start the game for CUAA. Anderson would pitch the full six innings in the circle for CUAA as she would allow nine baserunners with five runs coming across the plate. She struck out four batters in the game as well.
Both teams got the scoring going right away as they would each record a run. Payton Lewis singled to start the game and would score on a Dee Campbell single up the middle of the infield. The Saints tallied a run by piecing together a couple of singles and then advancing to home when CUAA caught a runner attempting to steal second.
The Saints grabbed the lead on a two-run home run to center field to grab the 3-1 lead in the game. The Cardinals would get within a run in the fifth on an attempted double steal as Shannon McAlinden, who reached on an error, would come across the plate to score.
The bottom half of the fifth saw an insurance home run from Aquinas that would score two runs to give the Saints a 5-2 lead. The next scoring opportunity for either team came up in the top of the seventh when Dee Campbell tallied her second RBI on a double to left center field to bring the Cards to within two. The Saints though would get out of the jam to finish off the game.
GAME 2 - CONCORDIA 10, AQUINAS 8
The game 2 starter for the Cardinals was Elyse Brittain. She pitched into the fifth inning going 4.2 in total, allowing five runs (2 earned) with five strikeouts on the game. Kendall Kahl came in relief in that fifth inning, pitching the final 2.1 as she allowed three runs (1 earned) and tallying a strikeout.
The Cardinal offense got going right away as they tallied four runs right in the first inning. Shannon McAlinden reached on an error once again and scored two batters later when Katie Tobias singled her home. Tobias would then score from first when Maddy Grueter doubled down the left-field line for the second CUAA run. Jada Stephenson singled to left field, and the Cards had runners on second and third. Brittain would help out her own cause by driving in both of those runs on a single to left.
Grueter added a fifth run in the second inning when she once again doubled to center field as Dee Campbell crossed the plate. For the third straight inning, CUAA would push a run across the board. Sarah Tyrell recorded a single and then Lauren Martin homered to left field. Campbell would then record her third RBI of the day when she brought home McAlinden.
AQ brought a run across the plate with a walk and then a single. The fourth inning saw another Saint run with help from a Cardinal error.
The fifth saw one insurance run off the bat of Dee Campbell who singled in McAlinden to make it 9-2 CUAA. This inning also started the comeback as they tallied three runs off of a home run and a double. The sixth inning had three more AQ runs to cross the plate off of two singles and a bases-loaded walk. Kahl did get out of the inning as the bases were loaded.
The Cardinals tallied an insurance run in the top of the final inning of play when Grueter reached on an error on a play where Tobias scored to make it 10-8. The Saints threatened with two runners on in the bottom half of the inning, but Kahl was able to close them out with a strikeout to secure the split.
TOP PERFORMERS
Leading the team in hits on the day was Dee Campbell as she tallied six hits, with two doubles and four RBIs. Lauren Martin went 4-5 on the day with a two-run home run. Maddy Grueter and Elyse Brittain both were able to record two RBIs each.
Kendall Kahl and Brittain both tallied a 3.00 ERA throughout the second game. Brittain and Paige Anderson recorded five and four strikeouts respectively.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will continue their road trip when they head down to Sylvania, Ohio for a doubleheader against the Gray Wolves on Saturday, April 15, with the first pitch at 1 PM.
