Story by Mitch Blankespoor

CLERMONT, Fla. – The Kalamazoo College softball team split a pair of games Wednesday, March 26 defeating Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) 4-1 and falling to St. Catherine (Mn.) 3-2 in eight innings.

In the victory over MIT, freshman pitcher Erin DuRoss went the distance for K fanning six batters in seven innings while giving up one walk and seven hits. The Onsted native is now 3-1 for the season.

Kalamazoo took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. After a flyout, sophomore shortstop Megan Malish tripled to right center field. Junior Grace Mathieu drove in the run when she doubled to deep left center.

MIT scored an unearned run in the third, but Kalamazoo took the lead in the bottom half of the inning on a single from junior Emma Patrash. The Buffalo Grove (Ill.) native continued to swing a hot stick doubling in two runs in the fourth inning.

Neither team scored a run the final three innings.

Patrash was the lone Hornet to have multiple hits while Malish, Matthieu, junior Abby Anderson, and sophomore Dana Page each record one hit.

"We are super excited with the confidence Erin [DuRoss] showed on the mound being just a freshman," Kalamazoo Head Coach Sue Mattice said. "It was overall an awesome team effort by everyone."

Kalamazoo had another great pitching performance in game two from junior Taylor Clements. Neither team scored a run until the top of the sixth when Anderson singled scoring sophomore Paige McGuire. Kalamazoo could not hold the lead, however, as St. Catherine answered with two outs in the bottom of the seventh on a bunt single to tie the game at 1-1.

Kalamazoo scored a run in the top of the eighth. St. Catherine responded with a run and the game-winning hit, an RBI double to left field to win the game.

Clements gave up nine hits in seven innings while striking out three. Offensively, Kalamazoo mustered four hits.

"These are the situations we can learn from," Mattice said. "This game could have gone either way. It would have been great to have the win, but I'm happy we played well through the whole situation."

Kalamazoo sits at 4-4 on the season and will play the final games of its spring trip tomorrow, March. 27 against Lawrence and Thomas.