(Ann Arbor, MI) - The Concordia Cardinals rounded out their trip to Iowa with a sweep of St. Ambrose and Judson on Sunday. The day was highlighted by the two CUAA pitchers who combined for 1 total hit allowed.
In the first game of the day, Emilee Underwood threw the first Cardinal softball no-hitter since March 5, 2007, when Kolbe Valenzuela threw one against Grace College
The Cardinals moves to 9-2 on the season, St. Ambrose moved to 8-4, and Judson is now 0-6.
GAME 1 - CONCORDIA 5, ST. AMBROSE 1
Emilee Underwood (5-0) pitched a complete game, allowing 5 walks with 1 earned run. She also struck out 3.
The Cards got on the board right away in the game as they plated a pair of runs with Katie Tobias singling home Shannon McAlinden who scored from second with help from an error. Elyse Britain then reached base on another error and Tobias would end up scoring on that play.
3 CUAA runners crossed the plate in the third inning. Payton Lewis began the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. McAlinden singled home Lewis for a 3-0 lead. Tobias continued hitting with an RBI single to left field. Brittain would then single home Tobias for the final CUAA run.
The second and fourth innings saw the Cardinal defense get out of the inning on double plays with runners on first.
The sole Fighting Bees run came into the sixth inning on an RBI groundout. Underwood then pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to finish out the no-hitter.
GAME 2 - CONCORDIA 13, JUDSON 0 - 5 INNINGS
Paige Anderson was the starter for the day's second game as she nearly matched Underwood's performance from the first game. Anderson tossed 5 shutout innings, only allowing 1-hit while striking out 2 batters.
The Cardinals nearly plated a run in each inning with 2 in the first, 2 in the third, 2 in the fourth, and 7 in the fifth.
Cassidy Kane sent the first run across the plate as Payton Lewis scored her second run of the day. Tobias would ground out to first with Kane being able to score in part to an error. The bottom of the first saw the sole hit from the Eagles allowed by Anderson.
Kane once again brought home Lewis on a double to left center field for the 3-0 lead. Tobias once again grabbed another RBI single with a hit to center field. The fourth inning saw Sarah Tyrell hit a sacrifice bunt as Elliana Gaines scored with Lewis singling home Jada Stephenson.
The fifth inning saw 7 Cardinal runs crossing the plate, making it a run-rule game. Elyse Brittain started the inning off with an RBI single, followed by a Morgan Scott and Tyrell single with Stephenson walking in between the 2 hits. After Lewis reached on a fielder's choice, Kane would end the scoring with a 2-run RBI double. Anderson produced 3 groundouts to end the game.
TOP PERFORMERS
Morgan Scott and Katie Tobias each recorded 4 hits to lead the team. Cassidy Kane tallied 3 RBIs along with 2 doubles. Payton Lewis and Shannon McAlinden each stole two bases on the day to lead the team.
The two pitchers on the day only allowed 1 hit and a .028 batting average against. They also only allowed 0.5 baserunners per inning.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals will travel south to Florida for their spring break games with the first two on March 3, with a doubleheader against Dakota Wesleyan. The first game begins at 6 PM.
