WARREN, Mich. – In a tale of two games, Macomb Softball and the visiting Ocelots of Schoolcraft College split Friday's (April 8) doubleheader in a rare way as both teams earn a five-inning, run-rule victory on the day. The Monarchs picked up the game one win, a 10-2 decision in five innings, while the Ocelots closed out the day with a 10-1 victory in the nightcap.
With the split, the Monarchs shift their record to 9-6 overall and 6-4 in the MCCAA East. The Ocelots ended the day at 5-9 on the season with a 1-3 mark in the MCCAA East.
GAME ONE: Macomb 10, Schoolcraft 2 (Final – 5 innings)
Down 2-0 in the third, the Monarchs' bats caught fire as the Blue & White tallied four runs in the home half of the inning to take a 4-2 lead through three innings of play. Elizabeth Townsend (Ira Twp., Mich./Anchor Bay) broke the game open with a three-run home run in the inning to help the Monarchs turn a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 advantage. The home run was Townsend's third of the season and the eighth of her career. The three-run blast would also stand as the game-winning hit as the Monarchs plated 10 unanswered runs to earn the run-rule victory.
As part of their 10-run outburst, the Monarchs would go on to score three runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to earn the walk-off, run-rule win.
While Townsend provided the home run theatrics, Danielle Erickson (Sterling Heights, Mich./Sterling Heights) was a force once again for the Monarchs as the talented outfielder/utility player went a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and three RBIs to lift her season average to a team-best .447. Jenna Casey (New Baltimore, Mich./Anchor Bay), who checks in just behind Erickson with a .444 batting average on the season, recorded a pair of RBIs on a 1-for-2 effort, while Rylee Thomas (Harrison Twp., Mich./L'Anse Creuse) posted a 1-for-3 line with an RBI.
Carly Sierzenga (Macomb, Mich./Dakota) continued her impressive freshman campaign by earning another win in the circle for the Monarchs. The freshman left-handed pitcher struck out four Ocelots and only allowed four hits and one earned run in five innings of work to improve to 6-1 on the season.
GAME TWO: Schoolcraft 10, Macomb 1 (Final – 5 innings)
A six-run third inning by Schoolcraft separated the teams in Friday's latter game as the Ocelots went on to earn the 10-1 run-rule victory. Samantha Scott (Romeo, Mich./Eisenhower) had half of the Monarchs hits in game two after going 2-for-2 with a walk, while Danielle Erickson kept up her hitting spree with a double on a 1-for-3 effort at the plate.
