Softball Ends Non-Conference Play With Sweep of Comets

(Howell, MI)-- The Cleary Cougar softball team wrapped up their non-conference slate with a doubleheader Friday afternoon, and were able to claim a pair of victories over the visiting University of Olivet Comets.

In Game 1: Grace Polega officially hit her first career home run in the game's first at-bat, after hitting one over the fence to start the game.  Cleary would add their second run on a fielder's choice from Summer Smith that scored Brooke Williams, and a Paulina O'Donohue sacrifice fly scored Carley Kalbfleisch, to make it 3-0 after one inning of play.  Cleary would score a fourth run in the third inning on a Sierra Diegel safety squeeze that scored Olivia DeJohn.  Two more runs would get put on the scoreboard in the fifth inning.  After Paulina O'Donohue led off the inning with a single, Olivia DeJohn tripled to right center to give Cleary a 5-0 lead.  The next batter, Mckenzie Latshaw would ground out, but it was enough to bring home DeJohn, and made the score 6-0.  Olivet would score their only run in the top of the sixth inning, narrowing the gap to 6-1, but Cleary responded in the bottom of the sixth with two more runs.  Ashleigh Tatara would have an RBI groundout that scored Brooke Williams for the Cougars' seventh run, and a Mckenzie Latshaw infield single scored Carley Kalbfleisch, making the score 8-1.  Kami Linton would get a three up, three down top of the seventh to see out the game one victory.

Jade Kupsky would earn her first win of the season, allowing 0 runs on 3 hits with 4 strikeouts over 5 innings of action.  Kami Linton threw 2 innings in relief.  Carley Kalbfleisch and Olivia DeJohn each had 3 hits, while Brooke Williams and Mckenzie Latshaw had 2 hits apiece for the Cougars.

In Game 2: After the Comets scored in the top of the first, Carley Kalbfleisch tripled to centerfield, scoring Grace Polega, who had reached on a single to lead off the inning.  A Courtney Witten single through the left side of the infield scored Paulina O'Donohue in the second, giving Cleary a 2-1 lead.  Brooke Williams would hit a RBI single later in the inning to score Witten, and another Carley Kalbfleisch single brought home three more runs, two on the single and the third advancing on the throw, to make it 6-1.  The rally continued when Ashleigh Tatara singled, bringing Kalbfleisch across home, and giving Cleary a 7-1 cushion.  Olivet would get one run back in the top of the third, making the score 7-2.  That score would remain the same until the bottom of the fifth inning, when Courtney Witten hit a sacrifice fly that scored Paulina O'Donohue for the game's final run.

Haley Ludwig picked up the victory in a complete game effort, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits with 10 strikeouts.  Carley Kalbfleisch and Paulina O'Donohue each had 2 hits to lead the Cleary offense in game two.

The wins improve Cleary's record to 6-11 overall.  The Cougars will open WHAC play on the road on Saturday, March 21, when they travel to Defiance College for a doubleheader with the Yellow Jackets.  Game one is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM.