GULF SHORES, Ala. – The Lady Bulldog softball team got their first win of the season the opening day of the Gulf Shores Invitational. Union (1-5) defeated McKendree University 11-1 in five innings by way of mercy rule. The Lady Bulldogs were then defeated 4-3, in their second game of the day, by Southern Nazarene University.
Emily Bennett got things started in the top of the first inning against McKendree University. Bennett reached base on a third strike passed ball. With
Summer Cross up to bat, Bennett stole second base, then stole third base. Cross sent a ball into right field to get the sacrifice fly RBI. McKendree answered in the bottom of the first inning, scoring on an error.
The Lady Bulldogs broke the game open with a four run third inning. Cross and
Haley Barnette walked to lead off the inning. Union forced the bases loaded with
Reagan Schrader reaching on an error by the pitcher. All three baserunners advanced on a wild pitch, scoring their first run of the inning. Freshman,
Rachel Ridolfi, came to the plate, and drilled a double to right center to clear the bases. Ridolfi came around to score on a ground out by
Whitney Christian to cap the inning.
Going into the fourth inning, leading 5-1, the Lady Bulldogs added four more insurance runs. Bennett led off the inning with a single to second base, then stole second to get her third stolen base of the game. Cross got her second walk of the day to have runners on first and second. With no outs, Barnette hammered a double to left center scoring Bennett and advance Cross to third. Ridolfi continued her hot hitting with a single to score Cross and move Barnette to third.
Anna Morris came in to pinch run for Ridolfi, and successfully stole second base to have runners on second and third. Barnette scored on a sacrifice fly by
Madison Tennyson, getting their last run on the fourth inning.
Union then scored two more runs in the fifth inning to complete the mercy rule win, 11-1. On the mound,
Paige Taylor allowed just two hits with one unearned run. Taylor walked one batter, and got two strikeouts to lead the Lady Bulldogs to their first win of the season. Ridolfi led Union with three hits and three RBIs.
Southern Nazarene got things started early in Union's second game of the day. SNU's Kriston Shumaker walked and would eventually come around to score on a single up the middle by Sydni Toilolo. That run would be the only earned run by Southern Nazarene in the game. Two more runs crossed the plate by way of two throwing errors by the Lady Bulldogs. Union came back in the bottom of the first to score two runs on a Barnette homerun, over the centerfield fence, to score Bennett who reached on a single earlier in the inning.
SNU got an insurance run in the top of the second inning by way of another throwing error made by the Lady Bulldogs. Union got the run back in the bottom of the second thanks to Cross's single into left center to score
LaDesha Nelson. With Southern Nazarene leading 4-3, the rest of the game was a pitching duel between SNU's Katelyn Brown and Union's Taylor. Each team would not score again.
Taylor (1-3) took the hard luck loss giving up four runs with just one earned with two strikeouts. She allowed just five hits with three walks. Schrader and Nelson added two hits each for the Lady Bulldogs. Barnette led the way with two RBIs.
Union will continue play in the Gulf Shores Invitational Saturday, February 5. The Lady Bulldogs will play Simon Fraser University at 12:15pm and Rockhurst University at 4:45pm.
#UNION#
