BELTON, TEXAS – The York College softball squad dropped a pair of games on day three of their spring trip as Mary Hardin-Baylor beat the Spartans 8-7 and completed the sweep with a 9-0, five inning victory in the nightcap.
The Cru broke open game one with a six-run second inning and then hung on in the win. Mary Hardin-Baylor then notched a five-run fifth inning to power the game two win.
The Cru improves to 8-2 overall while the Spartans fall to 1-5.
 
Game One
Runs: York 7 – MHB 8
Hits: York 11 – MHB 8
Errors: York 1 – MHB 1
LOB: York 5 – MHB 5
WP: Beth Ann Johnston (1-0); LP: Natalie Rietema (1-3)
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans opened the scoring in the second with a Kate Miller bomb to left center off the scoreboard. The home run was her first collegiate hit. The Cru responded with a huge bottom of the third as the plated six runs. Three came off the bat of Kylie Hoggatt as she ripped a one-out, three-run blast to left center. A hit batter, an error and an infield single loaded the bases with one out. A bases loaded walk made it 4-1 and Mary Hardin-Baylor scored two more on a Tori Skinner two run single to right center. Reliever Courtney Freese got the Spartans out of the inning without any further damage.
• York got two of those runs back in the top of the third as Jordyn Woodling ripped a two-run homer to center, cutting the Spartan deficit to 6-3. The Cru got a single run back in the bottom of the third on an infield single. Mary Hardin-Baylor pushed the lead to 8-3 with an RBI ground out in the bottom of the fourth.
• Junior Gretchen Barstad got a pair of runs back for the Spartans with a two-out, two-run single to right in the top of the fifth. The Spartans continued to battle and got two runs in the top of the seventh as Woodling singled and scored on a Morgan Sauers two-run homer as the York deficit was now one at 8-7. The Spartans Rylee Dreyer reached first on an error with no outs. The Cru got the next two outs before Alexis McDonaugh was hit by a pitch as the Spartans had the tying run at second and the go ahead run at first. Beth Ann Johnston got the final out of the game to secure the win for the Cru.
 
Spartan Offensive Leaders
Morgan Sauers: 2-for-4, 2 runs, 2 RBI, HR (1), SB
Jordyn Woodling: 2-for-3, 3 runs, 2 RBI, HR (1), SB
Danella Silagy: 2-for-3, 1 run
Gretchen Barstad: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
Kate Miller: 1-for-4, 1 run, RBI, HR (1)
 
Spartan Pitching
Natalie Rietema: 1.1 IP, 3 hits, 6 runs, 5 ER, 2 K, 3 BB, 1 HB
Courtney Freese: 4.2 IP, 5 hits, 2 ER, 2 K, 3 BB
 
Game Two
Runs: York 0 – MHB 9
Hits: York 2 – MHB 7
Errors: York 1 – MHB 0
LOB: York 4 – MHB 4
WP: Chloee Miller (2-0); LP: Kyrsten Coppage (0-2)
 
How It Happened
• The Cru opened the scoring in the bottom of the first as Lindsey Pollenschultz walked, stole second, stole third and then scored on a foul out to left. It could have been worse but Mary Hardin-Baylor left the bases loaded to end the inning.
• A Spartan error in the second allowed the second Cru run and that was followed by a Kylie Hoggatt two-run double to give the hosts a 4-0 lead.
• The Cru ended game two in the bottom of the fifth with a five-run uprising to invoke the run rule. The final blow was a three-run home run from Bryton Wright, ending the game.
 
Spartan Offensive Leaders
Rylee Dreyer: 1-for-1, BB
Gretchen Barstad: 1-for-2
 
Spartan Pitching
Kyrsten Coppage: 0.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB
Natalie Rietema: 4.0 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 3 ER, 4 K, 2 BB, 1 HB
Courtney Freese: 0.1 IP, 2 hits, 4 runs, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 WP
 
Spartan Notes
The games are the first between the two programs … the Spartans have now been shut out in four of their six contests … in game one, the Spartans banged out 11 hits, their second-highest total of the season … the Spartans mashed a season-high three home runs in game one including the first career bomb for Kate Miller … York swiped a season-high two bases in game one … in game two, the Spartans were limited to two hits, the fourth time this year they have had three hits or less in a game … the Spartan pitching staff walked 11 in the two games as they have now walked 42 in 30.2 innings of work … Jordyn Woodling notched her second multi-hit game of the year in the opener … Rylee Dreyer has reached base in four straight games while Woodlyn and Gretchen Barstad have each reached base in three straight bases.
 
Up Next
The road continues to be challenging as the Spartans face top-ranked East Texas Baptist University in a doubleheader on Friday. Game one is set for a 1:00 pm eastern start.