SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College softball team lost a pair of contests inside River States Conference play to visiting Shawnee State (Ohio) on Friday afternoon (March 28) at the SMWC Softball Field. Shawnee was victorious in the opener by the score of 14-12 and came back to win 6-1 in the nightcap.
SMWC moved to 13-13 overall and 8-8 inside River States Conference play. The Pomeroys are back at it on Monday, March 31 when they travel to Freed-Hardeman for a pair of games beginning at 3 pm (CT). Shawnee State improved to 13-9, 8-6 inside the RSC.
GAME ONE:
Shawnee State outslugged SMWC 14-12 in the first game of Friday's doubleheader, surviving a furious comeback attempt by the Pomeroys.
Shawnee State jumped out to an early lead with a three-run first inning, capped by an RBI double from Hale and a run-scoring single by Espinoza. The Bears extended their advantage in the second, capitalizing on defensive miscues by SMWC to plate six runs and take a commanding 9-0 lead.
SMWC responded in the bottom of the second when Crawford launched a solo home run, but the Pomeroys did their most damage in the third. Fuller sparked the rally with a two-run homer, and Rollings delivered a three-run double as part of a seven-run frame that trimmed the deficit to 9-8.
Shawnee State pushed the lead back to three in the fourth with two more runs on a pair of errors and an RBI single from Moore. The Pomeroys clawed back once again, taking advantage of wild pitches and a sacrifice fly by Crawford to make it 12-11 after four innings. SMWC tied the game in the fifth when Henderson scored on an error.
The Bears, however, regained control in the sixth. Belo-Diaz scored on a wild pitch, and Espinoza came around after an errant throw by the catcher, providing the decisive two-run cushion.
McConnell earned the victory in relief, tossing 2.1 innings and allowing three runs on five hits. Wargel (S) shut the door with two scoreless frames. Moultray took the loss for SMWC, surrendering five runs over 3.1 innings.
Hale led the Shawnee State offense with three hits, while Espinoza added three hits and two RBIs. Fuller and Crawford homered for SMWC, and Rollings drove in three runs.
GAME TWO:
Shawnee State used a six-run fourth inning to secure a 6-1 victory over SMWC in the second game of Friday's doubleheader at SMWC Softball Field.
With the win, Shawnee State completed the sweep over SMWC, capitalizing on a big offensive frame and strong pitching from Wargel.
After three scoreless innings, Shawnee State broke through in the fourth. Belo-Diaz scored on a wild pitch to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Skiver followed with an RBI single, bringing home Hale. Espinoza then delivered a two-run single to center, scoring Skiver and Moore. Dunnagan capped the rally with a two-RBI single to make it 6-0.
SMWC responded in the bottom half with an RBI single from Wyrick, scoring Crawford, but that was the lone run the Pomeroys could push across.
Wargel (W, 7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 7 K) was dominant in the circle, limiting SMWC to just two hits and striking out seven en route to the complete-game victory.
Martinez (L, 3.0 IP, 9 H, 6 ER) took the loss for SMWC, while Wyrick pitched four scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit.
Dunnagan led Shawnee State offensively, finishing 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Espinoza added two RBIs, while Skiver, Hale, and Moore each contributed to the scoring effort.
SMWC managed just two hits, one each from Rollings and Wyrick, as the Pomeroys struggled to generate offense against Wargel's pitching.
