Softball splits on day one of 2024 season
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Southwest Minn. St. | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
|
American Int'l | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
American Int'l | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
|
Quincy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
JAN PHYL VILLAGE, Florida - The American International College softball team split its opening day in Florida, falling 3-0 to Southwestern Minnesota State before defeating Quincy University 4-3 in a thriller on Monday, March 11.
AIC is now 1-1.
Against Southwest Minnesota State, the Yellow Jackets had a pitching duel. Offensive opportunities were at a premium, as Riley Sullivan went the distance and allowed just five hits in the seven frames. Unfortunately, AIC could not string the hits together they needed to score, and the Mustangs pushed runs across in the second, sixth, and seventh to win 3-0.
The Yellow Jackets had no time to dwell on the loss as first pitch against Quincy came quickly, and AIC struck first in the second inning as Julia Krijgsman helped her own cause with a leadoff single and scored the game's first run on a hit by Morgan Bemont.
The Hawks tied the game with back-to-back hits in the third, but AIC answered in the next half inning. Brooke Cividanes drew a walk and was sacrificed over by Brianna Harzula before being driven in by Abilgail Wells.
In the fifth, both teams scored. AIC's offense came on two walks and a big swing, with Krijgsman and Cividanes walking before Harzula roped a double to bring them both home. The Hawks scratched one across in the bottom half, taking advantage of an error to make it 4-2. The Hawks then scored a run in the sixth on an attempted double steal; the runner from first was caught, but the runner at third scampered home.
That set up seventh inning drama. The Hawks loaded the bases with no out, putting the tying run at third and the winning run at second. Against that pressure, reliever Kaitlyn Boone delivered a pitch that induced a hard-hit grounder to third. Kodi Gora tagged the runner coming home and dove back, beating the runner from second to the base for a force out to make an unassisted triple play. Boone drew another grounder to Gora from the next hitter, and the senior tagged the bag to end the game.
Krijgsman's final line included six innings with two earned runs, and she fanned a pair.
The team will be up early on Tuesday, March 12 with a 9:00 a.m. start against Lake Erie College and an 11:15 a.m. match with Northern State University.