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Follow Ursuline Athletics on FacebookFollow Ursuline Softball on TwitterPEPPER PIKE, Ohio - The Ursuline College softball team dropped its home opener to Alderson Broaddus University by a score of 10-4 on Saturday (April 10) afternoon.
UC has lost nine straight and sits at 7-14 overall and 0-9 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. On the flipside, ABU has won nine consecutive games dating back to March 21st and is now 14-8 and 4-3 in conference play.
The Arrows jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on Saturday as they got things rolling in the top of the second. Senior center fielder Sam Roberts laced a one-out double to right field before the next batter was retired. With two down and a runner in scoring position, sophomore catcher Kaitlin Krajcik came through in the clutch with a single to right that plated Roberts and gave UC freshman pitcher Gina Rosshirt an early cushion.
Rosshirt retired the first batter in the top of the third and the next batter reached on an infield error. The very next hitter, Sammie Turner, drilled to triple to right that scored Alyssa Bastin. UC's rookie hurler got the next hitter to pop out in the infield so she should have been out of the inning unscathed but the error allowed the Battlers to tie the game at one.
It all fell apart in the top of the fourth when Alderson Broaddus scored eight runs on seven hits. The guests were again aided by an Ursuline error and junior pitcher Rachel Jalowiec, who relieved Rosshirt after she served up a leadoff double, saw seven runs come around on her watch, only two of which were earned. After Jalowiec got two outs, Rosshirt re-entered and finished the rest of the game in the circle.
Ursuline wouldn't go away easily and cut into the deficit with a three-run fourth. Roberts singled and stole second and then Rosshirt put the ball in play and it was mishandled by ABU pitcher Jazmyn Rohrer which put two on. Krajcik came through again with a double to right that scored Roberts and moved Rosshirt up two bases.
After a pop out in the infield, freshman third baseman BJ Thomas clubbed an RBI single to right that brought in Rosshirt. Thomas was gunned down stealing second with junior second baseman Alison Porter at bat but Krajcik was able to come home on the throw to make it a five-run game.
Unfortunately, the UC offense couldn't get much going after that. Rohrer sat the Arrows down in order in both the fifth and the sixth and the Battlers added another run in the top of the seventh to decide the final margin.
Rosshirt (1-6) took the loss after allowing three runs, two of which were earned, in her six and a third innings of work. Rohrer (9-3) went the distance and gave up just two earned runs on nine hits and a walk. She struck out five UC hitters.
The Arrows and Battlers will play two more games tomorrow (Sunday, April 12th) with game one beginning at noon. Max Radigan will call the action on the
Ursuline College Sports Network.
