No. 10 Belles Suffer Setbacks Against Flying Dutch in MIAA Tournament

Game One Box Score - Game Two Box Score

• Makenzie Duncan was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI in game one.
• Jamie Young and JoAnna Keilman each had a hit and scored a run in the opener.
• Kelsey Keilman went 1-for-2 with a triple, an RBI, and a run in game two.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The No. 10 ranked Saint Mary's softball shouldered 6-2 and 4-2 losses to Hope in the MIAA Tournament to fall short in the final on Saturday evening.

Hope threatened to take an early lead as the Flying Dutch put runners on second and third with just one out in the top of the first inning. Morgan Raymer then registered back-to-back strikeouts swinging to get the Belles out of the jam. The Belles then took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Jamie Young led off with a single to center field, and a fielding error by the shortstop on a ground ball by Kelsey Keilman put runners on the corners. Makenzie Duncan then dropped a double down the left field line to plate Young from third base. Saint Mary's, however, could not inflict more damage as Keilman and Ducan were both left in scoring position.

The Flying Dutch knotted the game with a single and a double in the top of the second, but the Belles had a response right away in the bottom half of the inning. JoAnna Keilman singled to left-center and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kelsey Richards. Two batters later, Keilman scored from third on a botched play. Jamie Young flew out to center field, and Keilman initially tried to tag up on the play. The freshman then put on the brakes and headed back to third as the catcher caught the ball. The Hope catcher then tried to throw out Keilman at third but made a throwing error, which allowed Keilman to score on the play.

Hope took their first lead of the game on a two-out, two-run double in the top of the third inning to make it a 3-2 score. The Belles put a runner on base in both the fourth and fifth innings but were unable to cut into the two-run deficit. The Flying Dutch then added to their lead with a three-run home run in the top of the seventh to go ahead 6-2. Saint Mary's was unable to generate any offense in the bottom of the seventh as Hope claimed the win and forced a winner-take-all game for the MIAA tournament title.

Makenzie Duncan was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Alyssa Gutierrez reached base twice after a walk and a single up the middle. Jamie Young and JoAnna Keilman each had a hit and scored a run. Morgan Raymer shouldered the loss in the opener after surrendering four earned runs with a walk and five strikeouts.

The Flying Dutch claimed the lead with a run in the bottom of the first and two runs in the bottom of the second. The Belles responded with a run in the top of the third to stay within striking distance. Kelsey Richards hit an infield single, and Alyssa Gutierrez dropped a single into left field to put a pair on base. Jamie Young drew a walk to load the bases, and Kelsey Keilman hit a sacrifice fly to center field to plate Richards.

Hope regained a three-run lead with a two-out run in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it 4-1. Saint Mary's came back in the top of the sixth to again edge within two runs. Kelsey Keilman laced a one-out triple to the right-center gap and scored on a bloop single to center field by Makenzie Duncan. The Belles, however, were unable to advance Duncan past first base and were retired in order in the seventh in the 4-2 final.

Kelsey Keilman went 1-for-2 with a triple, an RBI, and a run. Kelsey Richards added a 1-for-2 effort with a run. Makenzie Duncan was 1-for-3 with an RBI. Jessica Alberts suffered the loss in the circle after going six complete and allowing four earned runs with five strikeouts and a walk.

The Belles (35-3) await the NCAA selection show on Monday to see if they will be awarded an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The show can be viewed online at NCAA.com and is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.