Lady Pirate's softball opened their home schedule Tuesday with a split against region opponent MCC-Maple Woods. Coach Richman's squad took home an 11-3 victory in the opener but lost the second game 9-6. "We played well in game 1, with sharp pitching and defense plus we hit the ball hard. In that game, we played to our potential. For game 2, we didn't play well in many areas. We have to be consistent to beat the teams on our schedule," commented Richman.
In the win, the Lady Pirate's offense produced 11 hits, including a homerun by Aubrey Nelson and doubles by Rachael Balke and Georgia Gibler. That trio went 7 for 11 with 6 runs scored and 6 RBIs. Allison Hilsabeck got the win, pushing her season record to 9-5. She scattered 6 hits over 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs.
In the game two loss, the Lady Pirates used 4 pitchers which allowed 9 runs over 7 innings, including 9 hits and 9 walks. Jessica Stupar took the loss, moving her record to 6-4 on the year. Offensively, McKinley Hurley went 3 for 3 from the leadoff spot, scoring 1 run and stealing 2 bases. Aubrey Nelson added a homer in this contest as well, pushing her season total to 3.
"I have been very pleased with the season so far. Our overall record is 17-9 and we are 7-3 in Region 16 play. Plus, the girls are really working hard," noted Richman of the season to date. The next action for the Lady Pirates will be Friday at home against St. Charles CC after Wednesday's Missouri Valley JV games were cancelled due to rain.