CAPE CORAL, Fla. - The Rockford University softball team concluded its 2014 spring trip on Friday with a pair of games against the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats and the Stevens Institute of Technology Ducks. However, the Regents were unable to come up with a victory as they fell 7-6 to the Diplomats and 5-0 to the Ducks.
In the first game on Friday, the Regents again dug themselves an early hole falling behind 4-0 through 3 innings. Following the three scoreless innings, the Rockford bats once again awoke in the 4th inning. Freshman Stefaney Kenworthy (Veedersburg, Ind./Fountain Central) sparked the offense with a leadoff single back up the middle. After a defensive miscue and a fielder's choice placed runners on first and second with one out, Jessica Bjerning (Wauconda, Ill./Mundelein) continued her hot hitting lacing a single to right field to load the bases. Junior Maranda Walker (Rockford, Ill./Boylan) then scorched a 3-run double to the wall clearing the bases and making it a 4-3 ballgame. Walker would score a few batters later on a wild pitch to tie the game at 4-4 entering the bottom of the fourth inning.
Franklin and Marshall answered Rockford's 4-run fourth with a 3-run fifth inning to retake the lead at 7-4. The Regents shot themselves in the foot committing two errors in the inning which led to three unearned runs for the Diplomats.
The resilient Regents continued to battle and answered right back with a pair of runs in the top of 6th inning. Maranda Walker and Mercedes Boykin (Belvidere, Ill./North) jump-started the inning with back-to-back singles into the outfield. After a bunt advanced the runners to second and third base, Megan Dougherty (Ottawa, Ill./Marquette) drove in the first run on an RBI single placing runners on the corners. Rockford then executed a double steal to perfection as Boykin scored to pull her team back within one run. However that is as close as the Regents would get as they were unable to punch across the tying run and fell by a 7-6 final.
Sarah Moritz (Heyworth, Ill./Heyworth) tossed her third straight complete game on Friday. Moritz threw 6 innings surrendering just 3 earned runs while striking out 5 and walking 1.
After pounding out 6 runs on 12 hits against the Diplomats, Rockford's bats went silent during the entirety of game two versus the Ducks. Stevens Institute of Technology held Rockford to just 4 hits and no runs. The Regents did however have a few scoring opportunities with their best chance coming in the 3rd inning. Following a Lynn Blakeley-Snyder (Rockford, Ill./Winnebago) walk, Sarah Moritz laced a two-out single into right field to put runners on the corners with the middle of the Rockford order due up next. However, the Regents could not capitalize and left both runners stranded. A similar pattern continued through the remainder of the game as Rockford fell by a 5-0 final.
The Rockford University softball team is currently slated to have its home opener one week from today on Friday, March 21st against Northland. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at the Smith Athletic Field.
