Owings Mills, Md. (March 22) – In MAC Commonwealth action, the Stevenson Mustangs softball team hosted Messiah for a Sunday afternoon doubleheader, showing resilience at the plate and in the circle despite falling in both contests, 10–5 and 6–0.
Game 1:
Messiah came out with early momentum, putting up four runs in the opening inning and adding three more in the second to take a 7–1 lead. Stevenson responded in the bottom of the first, as
Rebecca Maiorano reached base and came around to score on a clutch RBI triple from
Tessa Boswell to get the Mustangs on the board.
After Messiah extended its lead to 10–1 through three innings, Stevenson began to chip away. In the third,
Olivia Munoz sparked the offense with a double before Boswell added a sacrifice fly, and
Sierra Williams later scored on a fielding miscue to cut into the deficit. The Mustangs continued their push in the fourth inning, when
Sahara Ward tripled and Munoz followed with an RBI single to make it 10–4.
Stevenson added its final run in the seventh inning, as
Ava Stafursky singled to center field, allowing Boswell to advance to third and pinch runner
Ellie Comeford to score, making it 10–5.
In the circle,
Ky Vaughn provided a strong relief effort, tossing five innings while allowing just two runs (none earned), helping stabilize the game after
Alexis Kirkessner (1-3) opened with two innings of work.
Game 2:
Both teams came out strong defensively, with neither side able to break through in the opening two innings. Stevenson threatened early in the second, as Stafursky reached on an error and Williams followed with a single, while
Mykaela Getz added another hit to load the bases. However, Messiah escaped the jam to keep the game scoreless.
Messiah broke through in the top of the third inning, using a triple to drive in two runs before adding another RBI single to take a 3–0 lead.
Stevenson continued to apply pressure offensively. In the fourth inning, Williams singled again and advanced into scoring position, while
Maria Morsa followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners. The Mustangs looked poised to answer, but a key defensive play ended the threat.
Messiah extended its lead in the fifth inning with an RBI ground out, making it 4–0, before adding two more runs in the sixth to stretch the advantage to 6–0.
The Mustangs continued to battle late, putting together another scoring opportunity in the sixth inning as Williams and
Caylee Cliett recorded back-to-back singles. In the seventh, Getz singled and Ward drew a walk to bring the tying run to the on-deck circle, but Messiah was able to close out the game.
In the circle,
Anna Sexton (2-3) pitched a complete game, allowing just two earned runs while working through seven innings.
Stevenson will look to bounce back on Wednesday, March 25, when they travel to Hood for a MAC Commonwealth doubleheader.
