Game 1 box score: Minnesota-Duluth 4, Hillsdale 1
Game 2 box score: Lock Haven 4, Hillsdale 3 (8 inn.)
Just hours after completing a late-night doubleheader at Florida Southern College, the Charger softball team was back in action early Wednesday morning in Clermont, Florida.
The weary Chargers lost a pair of close games, 4-1 to Minnesota-Duluth and 4-3 to Lock Haven in eight innings. The losses leave the team at 4-11 overall.
Against UMD Wednesday morning, the Chargers gave up three first-inning runs and were never able to recover. Each team had eight hits, and Hillsdale was unable to captalize on five UMD errors in the game.
Senior Katie Kish had the team's lone RBI and Madison Stoner, playing extremely well at the plate lately, had the team's only run. Stoner had a single and freshman Renee Bielawa had her first career multi-hit game, going 2-for-4. Kish had two singles.
Sophomore Natalie Walters pitched 6.2 innings in relief and allowed one run and walked one with three strikeouts.
The day's second game required extra innings, and Hillsdale broke through with two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game up at two. Sophomore Emma Johnson slammed a run-scoring double that brought home Elaine Townley for the game-tying run.
Sarah Wojcik scored a run on a fielding error in the eighth to give Hillsdale a 3-2 lead. But Lock Haven came back with a two-run single to win the game in the bottom half of that frame.
Freshman pitcher Camryn Olson struck out a career-high six batters in a brave effort in the circle. She pitched all 7.1 innings after throwing four-plus Tuesday night against Florida Southern.
Seventeen different players appeared in the scoreboook for Hillsdale. Anna Dixon, Stoner, Johnson and Jessica Taylor all had hits, with Taylor driving in the team's first run of the game.
PHOTO: Carly Gouge