WATERFORD TWP., Mich. – Macomb Softball earned a split on the road Saturday (April 2) after topping the host OCC Raiders 13-4 in game one and dropping game two by a 6-2 final score. With the split, the Monarchs move to 5-4 on the season and remain .500 in the MCCAA East with a league record of 2-2. The host Raiders shifted their record to 10-11 overall and 3-1 in the MCCAA East following Saturday's split.
The Raiders won the MCCAA East in 2019 and finished runner-up to Sunday's (April 3) opponent, Henry Ford, last season.
GAME ONE: Macomb 13, OCC 4 (5 inn.)
An offensive explosion resulted in a run-rule victory for the Monarchs in game one as the Blue & White jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead en route to winning, 13-4. Jenna Casey (New Baltimore, Mich./Anchor Bay), Carly Sierzenga (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) and Elizabeth Townsend (Ira Twp., Mich./Anchor Bay) led the way with a home run each and combined to drive in nine of the team's 13 runs in the opener. Sierzenga went 2-for-4 with a home run, double and four RBIs, while Townsend went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Casey also went 2-for-4 at the plate with a home run, a solo shot in the third inning, while collecting two RBIs.
Sierzenga was also the game one starting pitcher and went the distance in the shortened run-rule game. The talented freshman pitched all five innings and only allowed one earned run on four hits while fanning four Raiders to improve to 4-1 in the circle this season.
As a team, the Monarchs had five players record two hits as Danielle Erickson (Sterling Heights, Mich./Sterling Heights) and Nikki Syracuse (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) joined Casey, Sierzenga and Townsend in the two-hit club in the opener. Erickson also drove in a pair of runs as part of the Monarchs offensive outburst.
GAME TWO: OCC 6, Macomb 2
The Monarchs got on the board first thanks to a two-RBI double by Sierzenga in the top of the first. The double gave the Monarchs a 2-0 lead, but the Raiders battled back from there to plate six unanswered runs to win by a 6-2 final tally. After a 13-run, 12-hit performance in game one and Sierzenga's first inning double, the Monarchs' bats went quiet the rest of the way in the four-run setback.
UP NEXT: Home Opener Sunday!!!
The 2022 home opener is tomorrow (Sunday, April 3)! The Monarchs will host defending MCCAA East Champion Henry Ford for a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Macomb's South Campus. Both games will feature a live stream on www.MacombMonarchs.com/Watch. Stats will be provided via the GameChanger app.
