Gallery • 12 Photos

Grayson Blalock

Madie Leach winds up for a pitch

Note: The recap of the second game of the doubleheader will be published Friday morning.

The first game started off quickly, with both pitchers having a 3 up, 3 down first inning. Madie Leach also had a 3 up, 3 down top of the second before Sloane Quijas and Jen Williams doubled and singled to start the bottom of the second. They were stranded, however, leaving the game scoreless.

Mustang pushed the first run across in the top of the third on a double, a sac bunt, and a throwing error by shortstop Sloane Quijas. Leach would strike the other two batters out in the inning, both looking.

Erie responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Teagan Brand bunted her way onto base. Kat Sackett doubled her home for her lone hit of the doubleheader.

Leach gave up a triple down the right field line followed by a single in the top of the 4th. She quickly regained her composure and got the next three batters out to end the inning.

Williams singled to begin the bottom of the fourth. A wild pickoff throw from the catcher allowed her to move over to third. Leach then helped out her own cause after that by working a walk. Freshman speedster Ashley Lovett came in as a courtesy runner for Leach.

Lauren Russell hit an absolute bullet to left field for the first out of the inning. Williams was not able to advance on the play, but Lovett made it to second base safely. Alyssa Barnett then came in as a courtesy runner for Williams. Kambry Fraser grounded into a fielder’s choice that ended with Lovett out. A hard hit ground ball from Kaylee Armstrong led to a fielder’s choice E4 with Armstrong on second base and Barnett and Fraser crossing the plate to put Erie ahead 3-2. Armstrong was picked off to end the inning.

Leach took the 1 run lead and sat Mustang down in order in the top of the fifth.

With one out in the bottom of the inning, Mady Vaughan had a bloop double to right field. After Brand struck out and Sackett was intentionally walked, Quijas redeemed herself after her error and replaced it with an RBI single. A passed ball allowed Lily Meskers, another freshman speedster courtesy running for Sackett, to score. Williams worked a walk next; then Leach lined the ball right back to the pitcher to end the inning.

After getting a groundout to start the 6th, Leach allowed back-to-back singles. She responded with back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. Mustang would have only their second 3 up, 3 down inning in the bottom of the sixth.

The top of the seventh was one of the most eventful half-innings of the night. Armstrong, who was at the center of the action throughout the inning, began it by bobbling a ground ball at third and launching it past Fraser at first base, allowing the runner to go to second. On the next play, she fielded the grounder cleanly and threw high, but manageable, to Fraser, for the first out. Leach then allowed a double that scored the runner from second. Armstrong made a great play to snag a line drive and keep it a two run game. Then, Armstrong took a grounder, caught the runner at second in a rundown, and missed second low and wide, leaving runners on first and second. Next, a hard grounder was fielded by a diving Quijas. Her throw was on the money, but was dropped by Fraser at first. Fraser recovered to throw out the runner trying to stretch it from second to home to end a wild final inning.

Box Score:

Stats:

Pitching:

Madie Leach: 7 IP (CG), 3 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 K, 3 XBH

Hitting:

Jen Williams: (2/2, BB), SB

Sloane Quijas: (⅔), 2B, RBI

Kat Sackett: (⅓), 2B, RBI

Mady Vaughan: (⅓), 2B

Teagan Brand: (⅓), R

Kaylee Armstrong: (0/2), 2 RBI

Baserunning:

Alyssa Barnett: R

Lily Meskers: R