MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Rockford University softball team concluded its 2016 season on Saturday with a trip to Milwaukee as the Regents took on the Alverno College Inferno. Although Rockford held an early lead in the opening game of the doubleheader, it was the Inferno who ultimately came out on top as they scored 10 straight runs en route to a 10-8 victory. In the second game of the day, Alverno used a six-run fourth inning to secure a 9-1 win.
The day got off to a great start as Rockford exploded for four runs in the top of the first inning. The Regents opened with three straight singles and scored a trio of runs before the Inferno were even able to record an out. Lisa Blakeley-Snyder (Winnebago, Ill.), Alex Storey (Dexter, Mich.) and Brittany Bura (Chicago, Ill.) all hammered singles into the outfield with Bura driving in the Regents' first run of the game. Rockford kept the inning going as Caitlin Eiben (Racine, Wis.) then drew a walk to load the bases with still no one out. Junior Stefaney Kenworthy (Veedersburg, Ind.) followed with an RBI single into right field giving her team a 2-0 advantage. Rockford made it a 3-0 game one batter later as Bura scampered across the plate on an Inferno wild pitch. Following a strikeout and a Taylor Pilarczyk (Chicago, Ill.) walk to once again load the bases, Lynn Blakeley-Snyder (Winnebago, Ill.) was hit by a pitch to force in the final run of the inning and give Rockford a 4-0 lead.
Unfortunately the Rockford offense went silent over the next five innings as the Inferno eventually took the lead. Alverno scored in every inning except the fourth including a three-run third inning to take a 10-4 lead heading into the top of the seventh.
Rockford would not go into the night quietly as the Regents put together one final push to try and tie the game. Caitlin Eiben and Stefaney Kenworthy began the Rockford rally with a single and double to put runners on second and third base with only one out. Senior Mercedes Boykin (Belvidere, Ill.) then made it a 10-5 game as she laced an RBI single through the left side of the infield to score Eiben. Rockford's next two batters, Taylor Pilarczyk and Lynn Blakeley-Snyder, each drew a walk with the latter forcing in a run and cutting the Inferno lead to 10-6. Abigail Wellwood (Rockford, Ill.) then followed with a clutch two-run single into right center field as Rockford put the tying run on base and pulled to within two runs. One batter later, Lisa Blakeley-Snyder walked to put the go-ahead run on and load the bases with just one out. Unfortunately that is where the rally ended as Alverno was able to retire the next two batters and win the opener 10-8.
Following an offensive explosion in the first game that saw the Regents score 8 runs on 11 hits, Rockford was held to just one run and one hit in game two. Rockford's lone hit came off the bat of Alex Storey in the top of the first inning when she singled into left field. Despite the struggles offensively, Rockford entered the top of the fourth inning only trailing 3-0. Caitlin Eiben began the inning with a leadoff walk and eventually worked her way over to third base with just one out. Pitcher Abigail Wellwood then helped herself out with an RBI groundout as Rockford pulled back to within two runs at 3-1. However, the game quickly took a turn for the worse in the bottom half of the inning as the Inferno answered with six runs on just two hits and two Rockford errors to take a 9-1 lead. Rockford was unable to answer back in the top of the fifth inning as the Regents were retired in order to end the game.
