LEESBURG, Fla. - The Saint Mary's softball team put together a fifth-inning rally, but a sixth-inning scoring spurt by Coast Guard pushed the Bears to a 19-4 decision over the Belles in the season opener for both sides at THE Spring Games.

 

Coast Guard got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning with three runs. The Belles ensured the Bears did not add to their lead with a force out at the plate on a bases loaded situation with just one out gone, and a fly out ended the top half of the inning. 

 

McKenna Myers had a lead-off single in the second, and Mac Pepper started off the third inning with a single of her own. Despite getting runners in scoring position in both innings, Saint Mary's was unable to chip away at the deficit as the game moved to the top of the fourth. The Belles broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning. Caitlin Traxler led things off with a double and advanced to third on a wild pitch. McKenna Myers drew a walk to put runners at the corners, but a tough double play by the Bears defensively got both Myers and Alexis Rauch out as Traxler was unable to score on the play. Paige Madden, however, pushed Traxler across for the first run of the 2022 campaign with a single. Natalie Quinlan drew a walk, but an infield pop up ended the scoring for the Belles in the fourth.

 

Coast Guard plated three runs, two of which were unearned, in the top half of the fifth to extend the advantage to 6-1. The Belles came right back in the bottom half of the inning. McKenna Shoupe reached on an error, and Mandi Hettinger laced a single two batters later. A fielder's choice saw Traxler make it to first base with Hettinger out on the force play at second to put runners on the corners again for the Belles. McKenna Myers then drove the pair in with a double to make it a 6-3 game. Alexis Rauch drew a walk, and Grace Renschen loaded the bases with a walk of her own. A fly out, however, put a stop to the rally for Saint Mary's.

 

The Bears countered with a scoring outburst in the top of the sixth inning as Coast Guard  pushed across 13 runs, eight of them unearned, for a 19-3 lead going into the bottom half of the sixth. Rylee Hershberger had a two-out single for her first hit as a Belle, and Libby Bierbaum drew a walk to put two runners on-base. Caitlin Traxler laced a single to score Hersberger from second on the play, but a lineout ended the game by the 19-4 final score.

 

McKenna Myers went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs, a walk, and a double. Caitlin Traxler was 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. Rylee Hershberger had a hit, a walk, and scored a run. Mandi Hettinger, Mac Pepper, and Paige Madden each added a hit, and Madden added an RBI. McKenna Shoupe scored a run for Saint Mary's. Mandi Hettinger suffered the pitching loss in the circle. Grace Renschen faced 12 batters in her debut in a relief showing for the Belles, and Libby Bierbaum faced two batters with a strikeout in the circle.

 

Saint Mary's had their second game of the day canceled due to a shortage in available umpires on Sunday at the multi-complex event in Florida.

 

The Belles (0-1) are slated to take on Bethany (W.Va.) and Bethany Lutheran on Monday at 2:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. in Clermont, Florida.