Softball team extends win streak to seven games with two wins at Gene Cusic Classic

The Olivet College softball team extended its winning streak to seven games with two wins this morning at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Florida. In the first game, the Comets (7-1) defeated Monmouth (Ill.) College, 11-2. In the second game, Olivet hit four home runs, including two grand slams, en route to a 14-4 rout of Pine Manor (Mass.) College.

Against Monmouth, the Comets scored two runs in the first inning, five in the second, one in the third and three in the fifth to take a 11-0 lead. Monmouth tallied its two runs in the bottom half of the fifth.

At the plate, freshman Heidi Wear (Hastings/Wayland) was four-for-four with two runs scored and two RBI. Junior Katelan Schoen (Climax-Scotts) finished with two hits. Extra base hits were triples by freshman Kacey Darling (Hartford), junior Heather Hinesman (Hudson), freshman Danielle Martin (Lansing/Catholic Central) and sophomore Jessica Schmansky (Clarkston/Waterford Our Lady of Lakes).

Martin also had a team-high four RBI, while freshman Kacie Rosecrants (Parma/Western) reached base three times and scored a run each time. In the circle, senior Erica Anderson (Casnovia/Kent City) earned the win. She pitched five innings, allowed eight hits and struck out seven batters.

After falling behind 2-0 to Pine Manor, Olivet got two runs to tie the game in the bottom half of the third inning. The Gators took a 3-2 lead with a run in the fourth. The Comets sent 11 batters to the plate in their half of the fourth frame. Pine Manor added another run in the fifth, but Olivet ended the game with five runs in the bottom of fifth.

Darling and freshman Christina Luna (Charlotte) each hit a grand slam home run. Freshman Kortney Ewing (Nashville/Maple Valley) had a two-run homer, while Wear hit a solo homer. Schoen and Wear tallied three hits each. Darling, Rosecrants, Schmansky, Schoen and freshman Danielle Jones (Trenton) recorded two hits apiece.

In the circle, freshman Corie Greene (Brown City) earned the win after relieving sophomore Kim Green (Portland). Green started and pitched three and one-third innings, while giving up six hits and three runs. Greene allowed two hits in one and two-thirds innings.

Olivet is back in action tomorrow when it plays Hiram (Ohio) College at 9 a.m. and New Jersey City University at 11 a.m.