Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Midland University wrapped up play in the Saints Four Seasons Classic on Sunday with a pair of games in San Antonio. The Warriors needed an extra inning to get past Bethany, 9-8, and then fell to the host No. 15 Our Lady of the Lake University, 8-3, in the finale. It was a successful opening weekend for the No. 22-ranked Warriors, going 4-2 with a win over a ranked opponent.
GAME 1: Midland 9, Bethany 8 (8 innings)
In their first game of the day, the Warriors needed extra innings to get past the pesky Swedes. Bethany opened up the game with two runs in the top of the 1st before Midland countered with three runs in its half of the opening inning.
Emily Prai led off the inning with a single to the pitcher and then advanced to second on the throwing error. After two outs were recorded, Micaela Rodriguez singled up the middle to bring in the first run for MU. Carly Pfitzer followed behind with a two-run home run that was blasted over the left-field wall.
Midland would add to their total in the 3rd when Roni Foote hit her fourth homer of the season, a solo shot over the center field wall.
Trailing by two runs, Bethany flipped the script as they dusted the Warriors up for four runs in the top of the 4th. They had four hits and took advantage of a pair of errors to take the 6-4 lead. They would push their lead to three the following inning as they scored a run with a pair of his.
In the Warriors’ half of the 5th, Aliyah Rincon joined the home run party with a solo shot to center.
The offensive output continued in the 6th as Bethany tacked on another run, this time following an error that extended the inning.
Midland’s turn at the plate yielded two runs as they started the comeback. After the first two batters were retired, Keira Painter kept the inning afloat as she reached on an infield error. She then stole second and was joined on the bases by Ali Smith, who drew a walk.
With two runners on, Amanda Schmaderer loaded the bases with a walk. With the bases loaded and the top of the order coming up, Prai made the Swedes pay as she drove in two runs with a single up the middle, pulling the Warriors within a run, 8-7.
In the 7th, Midland worked around a one-out single and set up the heart of its lineup. Rodriguez got things started with a one-out single and then Pfitzer reached on an error. Another error by the Swedes allowed the Warriors to score the tying run and sent the game to extra innings.
In the 8th, with the international tie-breaker run in effect. Bethany moved the runner that was placed at second up a bag with a single but was unable to move her the final 60 feet as the Warriors got a strikeout and a ground out
During their turn at the plate, Mia Orduna hit a slow grounder to the left side of the infield that allowed the winning run to get to third base. Prai walked it off with an RBI single and Midland completed the comeback win, 9-8, in eight innings.
In the circle, Rincon went 3.2 innings with five strikeouts and no decision. Paeton Coler came on in relief and went 4.1 innings with five strikeouts and picked up the win.
Statistical Standouts
- Emily Prai: 3-for-5, R, 3 RBI
- Aliyah Rincon: 1-for-4, R, RBI, HR
- Roni Foote: 2-for-4, R, RBI, HR
- Micaela Rodriguez: 2-for-4, RBI
- Carly Pfitzer: 1-for-4 R, 2 RBI, HR
- Paeton Coler: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 K
GAME 2: OLLU 8, Midland 3
In their final game of the road trip, the Warriors took on the Saints in a rubber match game. OLLU won the first meeting, 11-3 on Friday, and Midland took the second, 6-2 on Saturday.
Sunday’s finale didn’t look good for Midland out of the gate as its first two batters were retired via infield pop-ups. A walk earned by Roni Foote kept the inning alive and Micaela Rodriguez sparked the team with a two-run homer to left field, her third of the season. Carly Pfitzer followed the same script as she made it back-to-back long balls with a solo shot to put the Warriors up 3-0. Unfortunately, that ended up being the only scoring to come from the visitor’s side.
OLLU was held in check in the 1st but exploded for five runs on four hits in the 2nd, then three more runs in the 3rd as they cruised to the 8-3 win in the finale of the Saints Four Seasons Classic.
Alexis Page got the start in the circle for the Warriors and went 2.2 innings, giving up the allotment of the Saints’ hits and runs while suffering the loss. Chloe Wasielewski came on in relief and worked 3.1 innings. She retired all 10 batters she faced and struck out three.
Statistical Standouts
- Micaela Rodriguez: 2-for-3, R, 2 RBI, HR
- Carly Pfitzer: 1-for-2, R, RBI, HR
- Chloe Wasielewski: 3.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 K
Midland (4-2) will travel home to Nebraska and begin preparing for their next set of games. In two weeks, the Warriors will travel to Tahlequah, Oklahoma to play four games in the Cherokee Festival. They face Bacone (0-0) and MidAmerica Nazarene (0-2) on Friday, then host Northeastern State (5-3) and MNU once more on Saturday.
