NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's softball team fell 9-1 and 9-1 (5 innings) in a conference doubleheader against Hope on Wednesday afternoon.

 

Hope took the lead in the top of the first inning of game one with a one-out RBI single. The Belles defense, meanwhile, shut down the Flying Dutch in the second as an attempted sacrifice bunt turned into a double play by Libby Bierbaum and Caitlin Traxler. Hope plated a second run in the top of the fourth, but a great play by Rylee Hershberger to Sophie Allen cut down a runner trying to score before Saint Mary's ultimately forced the Dutch into stranding two runners.

 

Saint Mary's got the offense going in the bottom of the fourth. McKenna Shoupe led off with a single to right field, and a Caitlin Traxler single put Shoupe on third. Rylee Hershberger then laced a single of her own to easily plate Shoupe on the play. A single by Libby Bierbaum two batters later loaded the bases for the Belles, but a line-drive out followed by a pop up ended the scoring opportunity.

 

Hope plated three runs in the top of the fifth on three hits and a pair of errors. The Belles threatened to cut into the deficit in the bottom half of the frame with singles by Mary Charniak and Caitlin Traxler, but the timely hit did not come for the home side. The Flying Dutch added two runs in both the sixth and the seventh for the 9-1 decision.

 

Mary Charniak and Caitlin Traxler each had a pair of hits for the Belles, and McKenna Shoupe added a hit and a run. Rylee Hershberger had a hit with an RBI, and Libby Bierbaum posted a hit. Bierbaum shouldered the pitching loss in the circle after going the distance with two strikeouts.

 

McKenna Shoupe had a one-out single in the top of the first inning of game two and moved to second, but the Belles were unable to drive in the senior. Hope tallied four runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the early lead. Two more runs by the Flying Dutch in the second made it a 6-0 game. 

The Belles got into the scoring column in the third inning. Madi Ingolia reached on an error before Mary Charniak laced a single to left field. A groundout by McKenna Shoupe allowed both runners to advance, and Caitlin Traxler drove a deep sacrifice fly to the right field warning track to allow Ingolia to score.

 

Hope responded with a run in the third and two more in the fourth to go up 9-1. The Belles needed at least one run to keep the game alive in the top of the fifth. Mary Charniak led off with a single and advanced two batters later on a ground out, but the freshman was unable to advance any further in the 9-1 final.

 

Mary Charniak posted her second two-hit effort of the day for the Belles. McKenna Shoupe, Alexis Rauch, and Sam Mikitka each added a hit. Caitlin Traxler tallied an RBI, and Madi Ingolia scored a run. Traxler suffered the pitching loss after going two complete innings. Mikitka went the final two in the circle for the Belles.

Saint Mary's (8-16, 4-6 MIAA) are back home on Thursday when they host Adrian for a conference doubleheader starting at 3:00 p.m.