NAPLES, Fla. - The Rockford University softball team dropped a pair of contests on Tuesday to Olivet College and Albion College. The Regents struggled in their opening game of the day falling 14-1 in 5 innings to Olivet and then dropped a 12-5 contest to Albion College.
Nothing seemed to go right for the Regents in their first game of the day as Olivet was in control from start to finish. Following a scoreless first inning, Olivet blew the game wide open with an 8-run second inning. The Comets strung together six hits in the inning and took advantage of two Rockford errors to take an 8-0 lead. Olivet would add two more runs in the bottom of the third inning to stretch their led to 10-0 before the Regents were able to answer with a run of their own in the fourth. After a pair of Olivet errors prolonged the inning for Rockford, sophomore Alex Storey (Dexter, Mich.) recorded Rockford's lone hit of the game with an RBI single into left field. However, it was not enough as the Comets tacked on four more runs in the bottom half of the inning en route to a 14-1 victory.
Rockford's second game of the day got off to a great start as the Regents scored the first five runs. Lisa Blakeley-Snyder (Winnebago, Ill.) jump-started the offense as she once again opened the game with a single. She would then advance herself into scoring position by stealing second base, allowing Mercedes Boykin (Belvidere, Ill.) to drive her in with an RBI single down the left field line and give Rockford a 1-0 lead. The game remained 1-0 until the third inning when third baseman Alex Storey crushed her first collegiate home run and gave the Regents a 2-0 advantage. Rockford then tacked on a trio of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to extend its lead to 5-0. The Regents loaded the bases with one out thanks to singles by Lynn Blakeley-Snyder (Winnebago, Ill.) and Makayla Long (Wilmington, Ill.) and a Shannon LeGath (Sturtevant, Wis.) walk. Lisa Blakeley-Snyder then came through with a big two-run double that bounced over the left center field fence and put her team in front 4-0. Rockford's final run of inning came one batter later when Makayla Long crossed the plate off an Albion wild pitch.
Unfortunately the Regents saw their lead evaporate in the top of the fifth inning as they were again the victims of a big inning. Albion used a 6-run fifth inning to take the lead for the first time in the game. The Britons then scored a trio of runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to seal their 12-5 victory.
The Regents are set to return to the diamond on Thursday, March 10th for a pair of games in Fort Myers, Florida. Rockford will open at 9:00 AM EST against Wilmington College before taking on Bridgewater State at 11:00 AM EST.
