(Ann Arbor, MI) - The Cardinal softball team finally played their doubleheader against the Warriors from Indiana Tech in a game that was originally scheduled for April 5. The Cardinals enter the games following sweeping Cleary yesterday, while the Warriors split their series with Lourdes. CUAA entered at 33-13 overall and 11-5 in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play. IIT enters with an overall record of 32-6 and a 12-2 WHAC record.
GAME 1 - CONCORDIA 9, INDIANA TECH 8
In the circle for the first game of the series was Paige Anderson. She would go 5.2 innings while allowing six hits on four earned runs and three strikeouts.
Indiana Tech got to Anderson right away in the first inning as they had a lead-off walk and then a two-run home run to left center field for the early 2-0 lead. The next two Warriors would get on base but would strike out the next two batters and would get a line out to end the top of the first. CUAA's bats were hot to start off the game as well with Payton Lewis tripling to the right center to start the bottom half of the inning. Playford would single Lewis in on a bunt and then Dee Campbell homered to the same spot IIT did earlier to give the Cards a 3-2 lead.
Following a quick top of the second, CUAA added another run off the bat of Lewis as she singled home Sarah Tyrell, who ran out an infield single earlier in the inning. Concordia led 4-3 after the second.
Lightning struck again in the third inning this time coming off the bat of Elyse Brittain as he added three runs on one swing with a home run to right center field to extend the Cardinal lead. Earlier in the inning Jada Stephenson singled to left and brought in Katie Tobias.
Two runs in the top of the fourth would bring the Warriors to an 8-4 deficit as they grabbed runs off of a couple of groundouts. The Cardinals added a ninth run on a Tobias ground out as Shannon McAlinden crossed the plate.
The Warriors threatened in the top of the seventh as they were able to piece together multiple hits and grab four runs, but were unable to complete the comeback as the Cardinals won 9-8.
Kendall Kahl came into the pitch in the sixth inning and finished out the final 1.1 on the mound, She gave up three hits and four runs with one strikeout.
GAME 2 - INDIANA TECH 2, CONCORDIA 1 - 8 INNINGS
The second game of the series featured Elyse Brittain and Carlye Walter pitching showdown as there were multiple 1-2-3 innings. Brittain would pitch the full eight innings as she scattered six hits and allowed two runs (1 earned) and struck out one batter.
The Cardinals grabbed their first hit of the game in the second inning off the bat of Dee Campbell on a single.
The teams would trade quick innings until the fifth when the Warriors would hit a lead-off double to right center. The runner would get erased when Campbell caught a line drive and fired the ball to second to get the runner out. The bottom half of the fifth saw Brittain help her own cause on the mound with a lead-off home run to center field to give the Cards the 1-0 lead.
The two teams would once again see the bats go quiet in the sixth. Indiana Tech would grab the lead though in the seventh inning on a single up the middle that they would attempt to score two runs on, but a great throw from McAlinden got the out at the plate.
After an infield single in the top of the eighth and would advance to second on a sacrifice bunt and would score on a wild pitch and a throwing error by Tobias.
UP NEXT
CUAA will return to the field on Saturday against Cornerstone with the first game of the doubleheader beginning at 1 PM.
