MONTGOMERY, Ill. - Marian University softball (25-20, 12-12 NACC) won its third elimination game defeating Aurora 5-3 before falling to Lakeland 4-1 to be eliminated from the NACC Tournament.
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GAME 1
- A sacrifice fly from sophomore Ariana Schliepp opened the scoring for Marian quickly in the first inning.
- Senior Evelynn Spaeth then drove in a run with a single and two outs to put Marian ahead 2-0.
- A big fifth inning for the Sabres saw Marian extend its lead out to 5-0.
- Junior Kendall Pliner opened the rally with a single that plated a pair of runs. Â
- Sophomore Riley Mankowski followed that with a sacrifice fly to close out the frame.
- A three-run homer from the Spartans in the bottom of the sixth would make things interesting late.
- The Spartans were able to put the tying run on base in the seventh.Â
- Freshman Sabrina Di Vito was able to lock down her first save as a Sabre, however, and keep the Marian season alive.
GAME 2
- The Sabres held Lakeland scoreless through the first three innings with the Muskies stranding the bases loaded in the first and two runners in the second.
- Marian was able to strike first when freshman Savanna Knuth produced a run with a single and two outs in the top of the fourth.
- This Sabre lead held until the bottom of the fifth when the Muskies plated three runs.
- The Muskies added an insurance run in the sixth and a quick top of the seventh would eliminate the Sabres from the NACC Tournament.
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Senior Cailie Pliner (7-10) went 5.0 innings allowing only two hits and no runs. |
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Sophomore Hope Matta continued her strong play going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. |
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Senior Evelynn Spaeth had her third three-hit game of the season going 3-for-4 with a run scored and a run driven in. |
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 GAME 2
