(Ann Arbor, MI) The Cardinals continued their tough stretch of conference opponents on Thursday with a doubleheader against the Indiana Tech Warriors. In a matchup between two of the top four teams in the WHAC, it was the Cardinals who came away with a win in both games.
Game 1: CUAA – 7, IIT – 5
Paige Anderson got the start on the mound for the Cardinals where she put together a great performance against one of the top teams in the conference. Anderson had complete control of the Warriors until the final frame, when her outing came to an end. Anderson ended the day with 6.1 innings pitched, five runs allowed, and three strikeouts.
The Cardinal offense was kept off the scoreboard until the 3rd inning when they tallied four runs and took their first lead of the game. Katie Tobias got the scoring with a two-run double to score Payton Lewis and Summer Brady. Faith Crampton then followed Tobias, with a two-run double herself, which scored Megan Martin and Tobias.
The Cardinals entered the bottom of the 6th with a 4-2 lead, before they picked up three important insurance runs. Katie Tobias brought in another run when she singled to center to score Summer Brady. A wild pitch allowed Payton Lewis to score, before Faith Crampton singled to score Tobias.
The Cardinals entered the 7th inning with a 7-2 lead, before a late comeback attempt by the Warriors. The Warriors scored three runs, but Elyse Brittain entered the game in relief of Paige Anderson and closed out the game to earn the save, giving the Cardinals the edge in game 1.
Game 2: CUAA – 9, IIT – 4
Hannah Duchene got the start on the mound and put together another good pitching performance for the Cardinals, as she went 4 innings, giving up just three runs.
The Cardinal offense got off to a quick start as they put up three runs in the first inning. Faith Crampton got the scoring started with a two-run double, that allowed Payton Lewis and Katie Tobias to score. A few moments later Maddy Grueter stole second, which forced a bad throw, and allowed Faith Crampton to score from third.
The Cardinals added another three runs in the 3rd inning. Faith Crampton drove in Katie Tobias on a single to right field, followed by a Maddy Grueter sac fly to score Brooklin Cox, who pinch ran for Crampton. Moments later Elyse Brittain hit her 5th homerun of the season to give the Cardinals a 6-1 lead.
The scoring continued in the 4th for Concordia when they put three more runs on the board. Katie Tobias brought in another run on a single that scored Summer Brady. Faith Crampton plated a run when she scored Megan Martin, and Tobias eventually came around and scored courtesy of Maddy Grueter.
Indiana Tech threatened again late in the game again, but Cardinal pitchers Kendall Kahl and Elyse Brittain worked together to ensure another Cardinal win. Kendall Kahl pitched 2.1 innings, while Elyse Brittain came into the game with the bases loaded, but slammed the door shut on the Warriors, as she retired the final two batters to give Concordia another win.
The Cardinals picked up two massive wins over the Warriors in a big-time matchup, as they move to 17-15 on the season while improving their conference record to 12-6. The Cardinals will have the weekend off, before hosting Cornerstone in a make-up game on Monday, April 21st with the first game starting at 3PM. After that, the Cardinals will hit the road as they travel to Michigan-Dearborn on Thursday and Aquinas on Saturday, as their regular season comes to an end.
