Mustangs
split with Saints, Crusaders
Updated
4/29/08 11:28 AM
Tara Herzberger |
CEDAR RAPIDS,
Iowa -- The Mount Mercy College softball team split a pair of
league doubleheaders with Ashford University and Clarke College
at Bob Erusha Field over the weekend, reaching the 20-win mark
for the first time since 2005 and earning the sixth seed in this
week's Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament.
The Mustangs
(20-18, 12-14 MCC) will take on third-seeded Grand View College
(24-19, 17-5 MCC) in the first round of the double-elimination
tournament Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Moline, Ill. A win puts Mount
Mercy in the 3:00 p.m. game on Thursday, while an opening round
loss means the Mustangs would play at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday.
An official tournament bracket is available on the MCC
Web site.
Senior catcher
Danyl Spivey drove in two runs while sophomore shortstop Amber
Schulte went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored as Mount Mercy
held on for a 5-4 victory over Ashford in Saturday's opener. Senior
right-hander Meredith O'Brien went the distance, allowing two
earned runs on seven hits while striking out four.
The Saints
bounced back in game two, scoring eight runs in the first three
innings en route to a 12-6 victory. Senior second baseman Tara
Herzberger, freshman catcher April DeFauw, and sophomore right
fielder Kalyn Harms each had two hits for the Mustangs. DeFauw,
Schulte, Spivey, and senior third baseman Mary Wells drove in
runs in the loss.
Clarke pushed
across a run in the top of the ninth inning to claim Sunday's
opening game, 3-2. Senior left fielder Katie Strain went 2-for-4
with a triple and an RBI and Schulte drove in another run for
Mount Mercy. O'Brien (11-9), who allowed three earned runs on
11 hits while striking out five and walking none, was saddled
with the loss.
The Mustangs
scored early and often, then held on to win the nightcap, 8-6.
Harms went 3-for-3 with three runs scored, while Schulte, Spivey,
and Strain drove in two runs apiece in the win. Strain (8-7) allowed
three earned runs on eight hits while striking out four in five
innings to get the win. O'Brien pitched the final two frames to
get her third save of the season.
Herzberger,
who was 2-for-4 and scored twice, broke Mount Mercy's single-season
stolen base record in the bottom of the first inning. She is 18-for-22
on the year, surpassing the previous mark of 17 set in 1998 by
Kelly Nelson and tied in 1999 by Sara Stanerson. Herzberger also
moved into fourth on the all-time steals chart with 25 during
her three-year career.
