Mackenzie Rust Wins her 10th of the Year as Cougars Sweep Grace Lancers
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
|
Grace | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
|
Grace | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Tuesday afternoon, the University of Saint Francis Cougars (19-16; 11-12 Crossroads) traveled to Winona Lake, Indiana for a doubleheader against the Grace College Lancers (10-25; 7-17 Crossroads) and swept both games by scores of 4-0 and 5-3.
Starting pitcher Mackenzie Rust set the tone in the opener right from the start with three of her first six outs being strikeouts. Meanwhile in the top of the second, right fielder Elandra Shafer gave the Cougars the lead with a two-out single scoring left fielder Aubrey Dunnuck.
On the mound, Rust got in and out of trouble keeping the Lancers off the scoreboard. Then in the top of the fifth, the Cougars scored a couple more runs on two fielding errors by Grace extending their lead by three runs.
Another insurance run scored in the top of the sixth on an RBI-double by Dunnuck, and Rust despite being in frequent trouble, survived another threat in the sixth and finished off the Lancers with a complete-game shutout to win 4-0 and earn her 10th victory of the season.
Through 17 starts this season, Rust has a 10-6 record with a 3.25 ERA in nearly 100 innings pitched.
Sophomore Erika Turpin started the finale for the Cougars but ran into some trouble in the bottom of the first when four hits resulted in two runs for the Lancers as Saint Francis had to play catchup.
Right after that, they proceeded to do so. In the top of the second catcher Tori Miller was hit by a pitch to open the frame and then came around the score the first run on an RBI-single by Brooklyn McCord. After a couple walks, center fielder Grace Renbarger gave the Cougars the lead 3-2 with a two-run single up the middle.
Turpin pitched well in the next several innings but hit a rough patch in the fourth when a couple hits and an error tied the game back up for the Lancers. Then a pitcher's dual ensued through the next couple innings.
The game entered the seventh a 3-3 tie, but then designated hitter Regan Peppler worked a walk to open the frame. Following a hit and two walks, the Cougars with two outs regained the lead on a wild pitch and bases-loaded walk to take a 5-3 edge, and Turpin shut the door 1-2-3 to complete the sweep for Saint Francis.
The Cougars resume play on Friday afternoon when they travel to Goshen, Indiana to continue their road trip in a doubleheader against the Goshen College Maple Leafs (18-21; 8-17 Crossroads) beginning at 3:00 pm.