NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - The University of Minnesota Morris softball team struggled in the first game of the day, being struck out in two of the six innings played in a 8-0 loss to Mansfield University. In the second game, an impressive defensive effort from the Cougars held William Peace University at bay for a 5-4 victory. Minnesota Morris moves to 4-6 overall on the season.
Mansfield 8, Minnesota Morris 0 (6 innings)
Up against a NCAA Division II foe, Minnesota Morris battled hard and trailed just 1-0 after three innings. The Cougar bats were kept at bay, but their defense kept Mansfield from scoring until the bottom of the fourth. From there, the Mounties took control of the game, managing to score three runs in the fourth inning to push the score to 4-0. Mansfield tacked on two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to end the game with the run-rule.
The two hits in the game for Minnesota Morris came from
Skyla Bristol and
Kendra Schmitz. Athena Grimsley (0-2) pitched valiantly for 4.2 innings while
Morgan Wilhelm came on in relief for the final inning of work.
Minnesota Morris 5, William Peace 4
The Cougars started the scoring early in this game as runs came from Bristol,
Alice Wilkinson, and
Tori Nichols in the top of the first inning. The defense managed to keep William Peace to one run in the bottom of the first, making the score 3-1 going into the second inning of play.Â
In the top of the third, The Cougars scored a run from
Roena Diver put the Cougars up, 4-1, after three. Another run from Wilkinson on a Bristol RBI double put the Cougars up by four in the fourth in the top of the fourth.
Alyssa Thornton (1-2) ran into some trouble in the bottom of the inning, but managed to get out of a bases-loaded jam with a 5-2 lead intact.
Bristol came on in relief of Thornton in the fifth inning and the Pacers managed single runs against her in the bottom of the sixth and again in the seventh, making it 5-4. With the tying run on third, Bristol notched her fourth strikeout of the day to finish the victory for Minnesota Morris and pick up her first save.
The Cougars will take the field again tomorrow at 8 A.M. (9 A.M. EDT) against Kenyon College. That game will be followed by a contest against another Division II opponent, Fairmont State University, at 10 A.M. (11 A.M. EDT).
