PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Mount Union's softball team dropped both games of a doubleheader against non-conference opponent Carnegie Mellon on Sunday afternoon, losing game one 5-3 and falling in game two 10-9.
The Purple Raiders (10-6) would strike first in game one, scoring in the top of the first inning when junior Sydney Mercer (Salem / West Branch) stole home to take a 1-0 lead. Mount Union would then add another run in the top half of the second when Mercer hit a sacrifice fly to right field that scored junior Lydia Brunner (Minerva) to make the lead two runs.
The Tartans (5-9) would claim their first lead of the game in the bottom half of the same inning, scoring three runs off RBIs from Maddy Beall and Libby Eichberger to take a 3-2 lead. Carnegie Mellon would add to their lead in the fifth inning, scoring a pair of runs off RBIs from Faith Lawrence and Reagan Diamond to stretch the lead to three runs.
The Raiders would get a run back in the sixth inning when sophomore Kyndall Hahn (Garrettsville / James Garfield) scored off another RBI from Mercer to cut the lead to two runs. However, that is as close as they would be able to get, as the Tartans would go on to take game one 5-3.
Junior Kendyll Cahill (Grove Port / Grove Port Madison) would get the start in the circle for Mount Union and threw a complete game, giving up five runs, four earned, on nine hits and struck out eight.
The Raiders would strike first again in game two, scoring three runs in the top of the second inning, scoring off RBIs from Mercer and junior Faith Reicosky (North Canton / Hoover) to take a 3-0 lead.
Carnegie Mellon would answer with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the same inning when Beall hit a three-run home run to left center field to tie the game at three runs apiece. The Tartans would then take the lead in the third inning when Diamond hit a two-RBI single to take a 5-3 lead. They would then add to their lead in the fourth inning, scoring five runs, with the first coming after Beall stole home, then Eichberger scored after an error by the Mount Union shortstop that was followed by an RBI single from Kira Monji, and then Faith Lawrence hit a two-run home run to center field to cap off the inning and make the lead 10-3.
The Raiders would get three runs back in the fifth inning, scoring off RBIs from Brunner, Hahn, and junior Cecilia Stephens (Edinburgh / Southwest) to cut the lead down to four runs. They would continue chipping away at the lead in the following inning as they would add three more runs this time, coming off RBIs from sophomore Josie Pfaff (Jamestown, Pa. / Jamestown Area), junior Abbie Gayner (Akron / Revere) and sophomore Lexie Nicholson (Madison) to cut the lead down to a run.
However, the Raiders wouldn't be able to plate the tying run in the seventh inning, as the Tartans would go on to take game two 10-9.
Freshman Emma Reemsnyder (Canton / GlenOak) got the start in the circle for Mount Union and gave up four runs, three earned, on one hit and struck out one in two innings of work. Junior Chloe Bird (Norton) would come in to throw two innings in relief and gave up six runs, three earned, on seven hits and struck out one. Sophomore Haleigh McCalla (Youngstown / Springfield Local) would come in to throw the final two innings and gave up zero runs on two hits and struck out two.
The Raiders are on the road again next as they travel to Tiffin to open Ohio Athletic Conference play against Heidelberg on Saturday, March 29, in a doubleheader, with game one starting at 1 p.m. and game two following at 3 p.m.
