Montgomery, Ala. – On Saturday February 25
th, your Mount St. Joseph Softball team traveled to Montgomery Alabama to play a pair of games versus number 14 ranked Wartburg College and the Host Huntingdon College. In game number one, the Lions were set to take on Wartburg College. The Mount were able to rally behind a dominant pitching performance to earn a 4-0 victory. In the second game of the day, the Lions would once again rally behind a great performance in the circle and score late inning insurance to earn a 10-2 run rule victory over Huntingdon College.
GAME ONE: MSJ 4 - Wartburg 0
In the first contest of the weekend Junior
Casey Kemp would take the circle for the Mount coming off of her stellar performance last weekend which propelled her to winning her first HCAC defensive player of Week this season. Kemp would pick up right where she left off by only allowing one hit through the first two innings. In the top of the of third the Lions were able to get on the scoreboard first after
Kaci Finchum started the inning with a single.
Kelsi Stevenson then singled to center field to put a runner into scoring position. After the second out of the inning, Sophomore
Emily McDonald provided the Lions with a single through the left side to earn the Lions the first run of the game. After Kemp quickly set down the side in the bottom of the 3
rd, the Lions would once again strike with a run in the 4
th. With the first two batters set down in the inning,
Maddie Kennedy tripled to deep center field which was followed by a one hop double off the right field wall from
Elizabeth Ivers to give the Lions a 2-0 advantage. From that point on, the Knights would only find a way to get one more hit off of Kemp in the next 2 innings as they trailed by 2 heading into the top of the 7
th. In the 7
th , the Lions found a way to add some insurance before the final three outs. Following a McDonald walk and a
Macy Cornelius bunt single, the Lions perfected a double steal which scored McDonald as Cornelius moved to second in scoring position. The Lions would score their second run of the inning on a Knights passed ball to bring their lead to 4-0. Kemp, like she did all afternoon, shut the door on a Knights rally with a 1-2-3 bottom half of the 7
th as the Mount defeated the number 14 ranked Wartburg College in dominant fashion.
In the first matchup,
Casey Kemp lead the way in the circle pitching 7 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits and striking out 6 Knights batters. Offensively,
Emily McDonald went 1-3 with a walk an RBI and stealing two bases.
Maddie Kennedy added important offense for the Mount in the afternoon going 2-4 with a triple and a run scored.
GAME TWO: MSJ 10 - Huntingdon 2
In the second game of the afternoon, the Lions once again turned to Freshman
Courtney Keller in the circle. Both pitchers were in control on the ballgame for the first 2 innings as each team could only find one hit a piece in the early going. In the bottom of the third, Huntingdon would jump on the board first after a one out 2 RBI single. The Lions would then waste no time to even the score after an inning full of action.
Maddie Kennedy started the inning with a single through the left side which was followed by an
Elizabeth Ivers double to left advancing Kennedy to third. The Mount then tried a bunt to score the run but Kennedy was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the inning. Following a walk,
Casey Bramble knocked in the two runners with a single to right field to tie the game at two apiece. In the 5
th, Kennedy would continue her stellar day with an RBI single to center field to give the Mount a 3-2 advantage. With Keller retiring the side in the 5
th, the Lions came out swinging and put a finish to the game in the 6
th. With bases loaded and one out,
Courtney Keller blasted a ball through the right side to take a two run advantage. The Lions would then have four straight singles to propel their lead to 10-2 need only three outs to defeat Huntingdon College. In the bottom half of the 6
th, The Hawks were able to find one hit in the half inning but that wouldn't be enough as the lions earned a 10-2 victory in 6 innings.
In the circle, Freshman
Courtney Keller pitched 6 innings giving up 6 hits and 2 earned runs while earning a strikeout.
Elizabeth Ivers led the way for the Mount going 4-4 with two doubles and an RBI.
Casey Bramble also provided the Mount with a Respectable 2-4 with a walk while adding a team high 4 RBI's.
UP NEXT:
The Lions next matchup will be on Sunday February 26
th as they will once again take on Wartburg College at 12 PM Central Time and Huntingdon College at 3PM CT.
