The Ursuline College softball team dropped a pair of close games against visiting Cedarville on Wednesday afternoon. The Arrows fell in 10 innings 5-4 in game one and fell 3-2 in game two.
The Arrows fell behind in the second inning of game one after the Yellow Jackets plated a pair of runs to take a 2-0 lead. The lead stood until the bottom of the fifth inning when the Ursuline offense broke through.
Freshman
Alicia Smith doubled to right field to start the inning and junior
Mackenzie Lebeda homered to center field to tie the game 2-2. The Arrows got another base hit from sophomore
Gina Rosshirt and sophomore
Leah Leshnack reached on an error but could not push across the go ahead run.
After the score remained tied 2-2 headed to the 10
th inning, the international tie breaker rule gave Cedarville a runner on a second to start the tenth. The Yellow Jackets went onto to score three runs in the inning to take a 5-2 lead.
Ursuline's offense rallied once more in the tenth inning but came up just short of completing the comeback. With Rosshirt placed on second, junior
Brittany Humbel hit the Arrows second two-run homer of the game to pull Ursuline with a run at 5-4 before Cedarville closed out the game with a fly out.
Humbel (6-6) took the loss despite pitching all 10 innings and allowing five runs, four of which were earned on eight hits while striking out three and walking three. She also went 2-for-5 at the plate with the home run and two RBI.
In game two, Cedarville scored a run in each of the first two innings before Ursuline got on the board in the second inning. Senior
Alison Porter started the inning with a double and moved to third on a bunt from junior
Brigitte Snow. Freshman
Sadie Jones delivered a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1.
The Yellow Jackets extended their lead in the fifth inning with a single run to make it 3-1. The Arrows answered back in the bottom of the sixth after Humbel got things started with a double. Snow followed with a base hit to center, and Humbel came into score on a fielder's choice by Jones to make it 3-2.
Rosshirt (5-9) took the loss after tossing four innings and allowing three runs on five hits. Humbel worked the final three scoreless innings and allowed one hit while striking out one.
The Arrows will be home on Friday as they begin a four-game series with Trevecca Nazarene at 3:30 PM. The game can be heard live on the UC Sports Network.
