News editor
The Marion softball team swept Little River on Tuesday to guarantee the team a winning record for the season. The victories also guaranteed them a home game to start the regional tournament.
The Warriors overwhelmed Little River in the first game, winning by 15-run mercy rule in 2½ innings, 18-0.
The second game was more competitive, with Little River taking a 4-1 lead in the top of the second inning. Marion trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the second inning, then retook the lead 6-5 in the bottom of the third on a single by senior Amanda Stuchlik to centerfield.
The Warriors extended the lead to 10-5 in the fourth inning, the second inning in a row they batted through the entire order. Back-to-back RBI singles by Stuchlik and fellow senior Cheyenne Jeffrey in the bottom of the fifth inning ended the game, 15-5, by 10-run mercy rule.
Megan Richmond allowed only one baserunner while striking out four batters in the final two innings.
The Warriors finished the regular season 11-9, guaranteeing them a winning record. They also secured a first-round home game on in the regional playoff tournament, although their seed and opponent weren’t yet set. If they win that game, they’ll advance to the semifinals at Southeast of Saline.
Ell-Saline
The Warriors struggled to score Thursday in a makeup doubleheader on the road against Ell-Saline. They were held scoreless in a six-inning loss in game one. Richmond struck out four and walked none in the game.
The offense picked up a bit in the second game, as the Warriors got five hits and three walks, scoring two runs against the undefeated Cardinals, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 12-2 in six innings. Kayla Kroupa was a perfect 3-of-3 in the game and drove in two runs.
Richmond worked double duty, pitching both games because of an injury to fellow pitcher Shelby Felvus last week at Bennington.