BELOIT, Wis. - The Rockford University softball team split its two games on Tuesday afternoon against the Beloit College Buccaneers. Rockford took the opener 3-2, thanks in large part to excellent pitching and some very timely hitting. The Regents used four hits to score all three of their runs in the first inning and never looked back. Pitchers
Mariah Martinez and
Rylee Klema took it from there, holding the Bucs to just two runs, and securing Rockford's sixth straight win against Beloit. The nightcap was much higher scoring, with the two teams combining to score 20 runs. Rockford jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but unfortunately, was unable to overcome an eight-run third and three-run fourth by Beloit and fell by a final score of 11-9.
Rockford 3 Beloit 2
- Rockford struck for a trio of runs in the top of the first inning. Following a walk and a Kariana Williams double, Jocelyn Callahan drove in the game's first run via an RBI groundout to second. One batter later, Emily Down crushed her first double of the game, scoring Williams, and giving the Regents a 2-0 lead. Rockford would tack on an additional run on a wild pitch, to take a three-run advantage after one inning of play.
- Three runs turned out to be just enough run support for the Regent pitching staff. Starting pitcher Mariah Martinez allowed just two hits over the first five innings, and at one point, retired 12 straight batters.
- However, the Buccaneers were able to finally get to Martinez in the sixth. Beloit strung together four straight singles to score a pair of runs, and make it a one-run game. Fortunately, Rylee Klema came in and retired the next batter to preserve Rockford's 3-2 lead.
- Klema then found herself in a bit of two-out jam in the seventh, but struck out the final batter of the game, to secure the Regents' fifth straight win this season.
Beloit 11 Rockford 9
- Rockford scored the first four runs of the game to take an early 4-0 lead.
- The Regents were able to manufacture a single run in the top of the first despite not recording a hit in the inning.
- Rockford then added a trio of runs in the third. Emily Down drove in the first two runs of the inning on her third double of the day. One batter later, Lauren Zielinski drove in Down with an RBI single, to make it a 4-0 RU lead.
- Unfortunately, the Bucs answered with 8 runs, 5 of which were unearned, in the bottom half of the inning to take their first lead of the day at 8-4.
- Rockford responded right back with three runs in the top of the fourth. Following a leadoff double by Enedy Perez and a Michaela Froehlich single, Olivia Lysaght drove in the first run of the inning on an RBI groundout to short. A couple of batters later, Candace Kipp drove in Froehlich with an RBI single to left field. The Regents' final run of the frame came via a Kariana Williams RBI double into left to make it just an 8-7 Buccaneer advantage.
- However, Beloit answered with a three-run home run in bottom half of the inning by Kaylee Witte to extend the Bucs' lead to 11-7.
- The Regents were able to score two runs in the seventh off an Emily Down RBI single and a Lauren Zielinski sacrifice fly, but it was not enough, as Rockford fell 11-9.
Game 1
- Mariah Martinez went 5.2 innings to pick up the win and improve her record to 4-2 this season. Martinez allowed just 2 runs, walked none and struck out a batter.
- Rylee Klema tossed the final 1.1 innings to earn her first save of the season. She allowed no runs off 1 hit and struck out 2.
- Emily Down finished 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored.
- Lauren Zielinski went 2-for-3.
- Bella Lima was 2-for-4 with a double.
Game 2
- Emily Down finished 2-for-4 with a double, 3 RBIs, a run scored and a stolen base.
- Kariana Williams went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, 2 runs scored and an RBI.
- Enedy Perez was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
