ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – Morris (13-11, 11-2 UMAC) earned another sweep of a UMAC team, this time besting Crown (8-22, 6-7 UMAC) in a pair of games. The Cougars won 11-6 in game one and 6-1 in game two. The sweep gives the Cougars ten wins in their last 11 games.
GAME 1 The Cougars used a six run sixth inning to secure a victory in game one but that was just a small part of the story. Morris took a lead in the second inning when
Clare Hamer drove in
Meghan Pomeroy with a sac fly to center field. The lead doubled when
Emily Leeb drove in
Kallie Grote.
Leeb delivered again in the fourth, driving in Pomeroy with a single to right center. Crown got a run back in the bottom of the fifth with a sac fly to right field.
That would bring us to the sixth inning when Morris took control. The scoring started when
Alex Anderson drove in Grote with a single through the left side.
Gina Downie came through with a single up the middle scoring Leeb.
Molly Olson came to the plate with the bases loaded and doubled to left field clearing the bases and making it 8-1. The final run of the inning scored when
Cassie Sowada drove in Olson, putting UMM up 9-1. Crown countered with three runs in the bottom of the inning but still trailed by five.
Minnesota Morris responded with a two runs in the top of the seventh.
Autumn Mahoney singled in Leeb and then Pomeroy singled in Downie giving the Cougars 11 runs offensively.
The Storm scored twice in the bottom of the seventh but the Cougars came away with a five run victory. Eight different Cougars finished the game with at least one RBI.
GAME 2 Crown took the lead first in the second game of the double header scoring a run in the bottom of the second inning. Minnesota Morris did not trail long, scoring three runs in the top of the third. Olson gave the Cougars a lead on a two run double to right driving in Mahoney and Anderson. Sowada made it 3-1 for the Cougars with an RBI single to right as Olson crossed the plate.
Minnesota starter
Mackenzie Weatherly settled in after the second inning and allowed just one hit in the final five innings of work. Morris gave Weatherly some more offense even if she did not end up needing it.
Downie gave the Cougars a three run lead with an RBI double to left scoring Leeb. Another run scored in the fifth when Pomeroy drove in Sowada. The final run of the game scored in the seventh when Hamer singled in Pomeroy.
Olson has now hit safely in nine straight games after Tuesday's double header.
With the sweep Minnesota Morris improved to 4-0 in true road games. They hope to continue their excellent road play this weekend when they take on Northland and St. Scholastica. It will be the final true road games for the Cougars during the regular season.
