Record-Breaking Season Ends for No. 19 Belles in NCAA Regional

Ohio Northern Box Score - Case Western Reserve Box Score

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The No. 19 (NFCA Division III Top 25 Poll) Saint Mary's softball team saw their season come to an end after falling 5-0 against Ohio Northern and 6-2 against Case Western on day two of the NCAA Division III Notre Dame, Indiana Softball Regional on Saturday.

In the opener against the Polar Bears, the Belles put a runner on third in both the first and second innings. Both times, however, Saint Mary's was unable to push the run across as the game remained scoreless going into the third inning. Ohio Northern capitalized on a couple defensive miscues by the Belles in the bottom of the third. The Polar Bears pushed four runs across on five hits and an error to gain a 4-0 lead.

Two innings later, Ohio Northern broke through with another unearned run to edge ahead 5-0. Jamie Young hit a one-out single in the top of the six but was unable to advance further than second base in the Belles' offensive end of the inning. Cassie Young led off the seventh inning with a single through the left side of the infield to try to get the offense going late in the game. Three consecutive outs, however, ended the game by the 5-0 final.

Makenzie Duncan hit a triple, and Jamie Young and Cassie Young each added a hit in the opener for the Belles against Ohio Northern. Morgan Raymer shouldered the loss after going five complete with two strikeouts and two earned runs with no extra-base hits. Jessica Alberts closed out the final inning of the game and allowed just one hit.

Facing off against Case Western in the second game of the day, both sides had a two-out triple in the top of the first as neither team was able to get the needed play to push across a run early. The Spartans used a pair of singles, a sacrifice bunt, and an infield single to score a run in the top of the second inning. Jamie Young put an end to the threat as she snagged a line drive and stepped on second base to complete the double play and end the inning.

A storm cell then hit the area and the teams were sent inside as lightning was detected in the area. After a delay of two hours, the teams resumed play. An error by the Belles gave the Spartans an extra out to work with in the top of the third inning. With runners on first and second with just one out, Makenzie Duncan made a highlight-reel catch in right field to give Saint Mary's their second defensive out of the inning. Case Western, however, took advantage of the extra opportunity from the error earlier in the inning by delivering a two-run single up the middle to gain a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom half of the inning, the offense broke through for Saint Mary's. Jamie Young hit a one-out double to left field, and Duncan took a change up the opposite direction for an RBI single. The RBI moved the senior into first place all-time in program history for RBI with 145. Cassie Young then drove in Duncan with a double to the left-center gap to make it a 3-2 game.

The Belles forced the Spartans into stranding a runner in both the fourth and fifth innings of play. In the bottom of the fifth, Saint Mary's had a strong opportunity to score. Alyssa Gutierrez hit a single toward the 5-6 hole and beat out the throw at first for a lead-off single. Jamie Young dropped a single into center field to put two runners on base. Two batters later, Makenzie Duncan laced a single to right field, but Gutierrez was thrown out at the plate as the sophomore tried to score from second on the play. The Belles were unable to keep the momentum going and came up empty-handed on offense in the fifth.

Case Western built on the momentum of stopping the offensive threat by plating three runs in the top of the sixth to gain a four-run lead. Megan Knudsen drew a walk in the bottom of the sixth, but the Belles were unable to advance a runner beyond first base over the final two innings of play as the Spartans claimed the 6-2 decision.

Makenzie Duncan then went 3-for-3 with a triple, a run, and an RBI. Jamie Young went 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Cassie Young added a double and an RBI. Jessica Alberts suffered the loss in the circle despite allowing just one earned run over three innings with no walks. Morgan Raymer threw the final four innings and struck out one.

The Belles finish the season 36-7 and set new program records for wins in season and conference wins in a season while capturing the program's first MIAA regular season title.