The Malone University softball team won a pair of contests in extra innings on Monday at the Fastpitch Dreams Spring Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Malone beat Briar Cliff 4-2 in eight innings. The Pioneers then defeated Cardinal Stritch 6-5 in eleven innings. Malone moves to 3-1 on the season following the pair of thrilling victories.

Game One Recap

Briar Cliff took a 2-0 lead over the Pioneers in the first inning on two singles and a double.

Malone would go scoreless in the first four innings before tying things up with two runs of their own in the fifth. With Maria Mokler on second and Nicole Ferrara on third, freshman Bailey Byers answered the call with a double to centerfield to tie the game 2-2.

After both teams went scoreless through the rest of regulation, it was all Pioneers in extra innings. Byers hit her second double of the day, scoring Ferrara, to give Malone the 3-2 advantage. An RBI by Caley Ritts would give Malone a little breathing room, good enough to secure the 4-2 victory.

Morgan Sampsel came in to pitch for Allyson Gruen in the top of the fifth. Sampsel would pitch four shutout innings to help Malone win 4-2 in eight innings. Sampsel gave up two hits and struck out two batters in her four innings of work.

Bailey Byers went 3 for 4 with two doubles and three RBIs in the contest.

Game Two Recap

Malone and Cardinal Stritch put on a defensive clinic, as both teams were held scoreless through regulation and through the eighth inning. Only one player reached third base in the first seven innings of play for either team. The two teams were again held scoreless through the eighth inning.

The offenses began to warm up in the ninth inning. After getting the bases loaded, Malone would take a 1-0 lead on a Kendall Reidenbach walk. Serena Tucciarelli would score the run after reaching on a single to the shortstop earlier in the inning.

Cardinal Stritch would tie the game back up at one run apiece in the bottom half of the inning on a single by Lauren Stoch.

With two outs and a runner on second base, Bailey Byers hit a hard triple to right center to give Malone a lead once more.

Karly Lange answered back with a triple of her own in the bottom half of the inning, tying the game back up at two runs apiece.

Malone's offense would explode in the top of the eleventh inning for four runs on four hits. Ashley Beck scored on a Tucciarelli single to give Malone the 3-2 lead. After a walk by Kendall Reidenbach, Caley Ritts smacked a two-run triple to right center to extend the lead to 5-2. Madison Corrick knocked in Ritts with a single down the left field line, giving Malone a 6-2 lead heading into the bottom half of the eleventh.

Cardinal Stritch would not go away quietly. The Wolves were able to load the bases with nobody out. Two runners scored on a passed ball and error combo by Malone, cutting the Pioneer lead to 6-4. The other runner was thrown out at second base, emptying the bases. Lauren Stoch hit a triple with two outs, bringing the tying run to the plate. Lexi Kirkpatrick, representing the tying run, singled to right for an RBI. A Pioneer error would put runners on first and second with two outs in the contest, but the defense was able to get the lead runner at third base to end the game and take the 6-5 victory.

Isabella Roberts pitched all eleven innings for the Pioneers. Roberts held the Wolves scoreless through the first eight innings and gave up just three earned runs in the game.

Serena Tucciarelli went 3 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs in the game.

Up Next

The Pioneers will be off on Tuesday before getting back into action on Wednesday. On Wednesday, Malone will face Ohio Christian and Glenville State.