KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Mount Union's softball team split a pair of games on the second day of their Florida trip, losing to No. 21 Rochester 1-0 and beating La Roche 6-0 on Monday.
The Yellow Jackets (3-3) struck first when Madi Turner hit a solo homerun to left field to take a 1-0 lead. The Purple Raiders (2-2) got runners on multiple times throughout the game with freshmen
Kendyll Cahill (Columbus / Grove Port Madison),
Sydney Mercer (Beloit / West Branch) and
Faith Reicosky (North Canton / Hoover) each getting a hit, but they weren't able to drive them home as Rochester would go on to win 1-0.
Cahill got the start in the circle for Mount Union and pitched a complete game giving up one run on three hits and striking out five.
The Raiders would strike first in their second game of the day against La Roche when senior
Grace Heath (Beloit / West Branch) hit a double to right field that brought home Reicosky in the bottom of the third. Then, in the same inning Mercer hit a single that scored Heath followed by a single from sophomore
Adri George (Eastlake / North) that brought home Mercer and then a double from freshman
Faith Kiko (North Canton / Hoover) scored George to give Mount Union a 4-0 lead. The Raiders would then add to their lead in the bottom half of the fifth when Mercer reached first on an error by the right fielder and Heath scored and then Kiko brought Mercer home on a pop-up to the shortstop to increase the Raider lead to 6-0. The Red Hawks (0-3) wouldn't be able to answer in the final inning as Mount Union would go on to win 6-0.
Freshman
Mackenzie Herman (Hermitage, Pa. / Reynolds) got her first career start in the circle for the Raiders and gave up zero runs on two hits and had 10 strikeouts in four innings to pick up her first career win. Freshman
Chloe Bird (Norton) came in to pitch the final three innings of relief and gave up zero runs on two hits and struck out six.
The Raiders continue their Florida trip tomorrow when they take on York at 2 p.m. and La Roche at 4:30 p.m. in Kissimmee, Fla.
