COLUMBUS, Ga. -- The Lawrence Technological (Mich.) University softball team swept No. 14 Reinhardt (Ga.) University with a pair of wins on Thursday, March 8 in Columbus, Ga. The Blue Devils took game on 3-2 and won game two 4-0.
Lawrence Tech (6-2) opened game one with three runs in the first inning and that was all Alexa Cherney (SO/Farmington Hills, Mich. ) and Brittney Bult (SO/Brampton, Ontario) needed to earn the win on Saturday afternoon. Jackie Mattingly (SO/Chino Hills, Calif.) opened the scoring with an RBI double, scoring Alina Molette (SO/Wyoming, Mich.) to give Lawrence Tech a 1-0 lead. Meredith Adams (SO/Portage, Mich. ) doubled in the next at-bat to plate Mattingly and give the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead with no outs. Lawrence Tech opened the game with three straight doubles. Bult made it 3-0 with an RBI single that scored Adams.
Cherney went 5.1 innings allowing one run on nine hits with nine strikeouts. Cherney breezed through the first three inning, giving up a just a single while striking out three. Cherney got out of trouble in the third after giving up three straight singles to load the bases with no out, but gave up just one run while striking out a pair of Eagles to end the inning.
Bult entered the game in the bottom of the fifth with one out and one on and got the Blue Devils out of the inning with a ground out to Mattingly and a pop up to Bigham. Reinhard opened the sixth inning with a double, a pair of walks and a single, but the Blue Devils saved a run by gunning E. Adams out at home plate. The Eagles scored one on the next at-bat, but Bult closed the inning with a fielder's choice to preserve their lead at 3-2.
Reinhard shut the Blue Devils down in the top of the seventh to keep the lead a one. Bult opened the inning with a strikeout, but three straight singles later the Eagles had the bases loaded. Bult responded with two strikeouts to close the game and earn the save.
In game two, Lawrence Tech jumped out to another early lead, taking a 1-0 lead on an Andra Malburg (FR/Maineville, Ohio) basehit to score Brittney Wieland. Sydney Schultz (SO/Commerce Twp, Mich.) started the game in the circle and shut down the Eagles offense with a pair of strikeouts in the first inning and getting out of two on, no outs jam in the second inning.
The Blue Devils added a run in the third inning as Molette stole third followed by a steal of home to give Lawrence Tech a 2-0 lead. It was a record day for Lawrence Tech stealing 12 bases in the game. Lawrence Tech added a pair of runs in the sixth inning to push their lead to 4-0. Mattingly and Bailey Brown (SO/Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) scored the final two runs of the game by stealing home. Lawrence Tech scored three runs when stealing home this game.
Schultz completed the shutout, going seven innings with eight strikeouts on three hits to complete the sweep of Reinhardt. Malburg finished the game 2-for-3 with one RBI. Molette (3), Wieland (3), Brown (2), Mattingly (2), Solecki, and Gina Barber (FR/Canton, Mich.) stole 12 bases combined.
The Blue Devils are now 4-3 all-time against teams ranked in the NAIA Coaches Top 25 poll including a 2-0 record against ranked teams in 2018.
Lawrence Tech is back on the field at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 9 when they face No. 8-ranked Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College on field two at the NFCA NAIA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. They face No. 12 Campbellsville in game two starting at 12:30 p.m. on field five.
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