FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Kalamazoo College softball team kicked off its season in Franklin, Indiana, splitting a doubleheader on Saturday, March 8
th. The Hornets took the opening game 5-3 against the Grizzlies before falling 3-2 in extra innings in game two.
Game One – W, 5-3
Kalamazoo jumped out to an early 3-1 lead in the third inning.
Landrie Fridsma singled up the middle, advancing
Brenna Fisher to second to put two Hornets on the bases.
Bella Caza took full advantage of the base runners as she hit her first career home run to give the Hornets a 3-0 lead.
Franklin answered with a run in the bottom of the third off a single to right field.
The Hornets extended their lead in the fifth, scoring twice more. Fisher led off with a single, and Fridsma reached first on an error, allowing Fisher to advance and score.
Delaney Lee delivered an RBI single to center field, bringing Fridsma across the plate and making it 5-1
The Grizzlies would tack on one run in the bottom of the fifth and seventh inning, but the Hornets held on for the two-run victory.
Maddy Vrba got the start in the circle, giving up one earned run on two hits while striking out two.
Brenna Fisher went 2-2 with two runs scored.
Bella Caza went 1-4 with a home run and three RBIs.
Landrie Fridsma,
Delaney Lee, and
Macy Ward each added a hit in the Hornets' win over the Grizzlies.
Game Two – L, 3-2
In game two, both teams were scoreless through seven innings. The Hornets broke through first in extra innings when
Ella Neumann drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. The Grizzlies quickly responded, tying the game with a single to right field.
In the ninth, Fisher started on second base, stole third, and then scored on a fielder's choice by
Landrie Fridsma to give Kalamazoo a 2-1 lead.
However, the Grizzlies answered with a game-tying double before eventually walking it off in the 10
th to secure a 3-2 victory over the Hornets.
Brenna Fisher,
Maddie Potts,
Lewie Wilks, and
Macy Ward all recorded a hit in game two.
Jordan Cook spent nine innings in the circle, recording nine strikeouts while only allowing three runs off eight hits.
The Hornets are back in action on Thursday, March 20
th, as they take on Salem State in Clermont, Florida.