HAVERFORD, Pa. – Seven hours after being named Centennial Conference softball player of the week for the first time in her collegiate career, senior Mackenzie Brennan recorded her 100th career hit and the Ursinus softball team earned a split against Haverford on Tuesday afternoon in Centennial Conference action. The Fords took game one 8-2 before the Bears responded in game two with an 8-2 triumph of their own.
With the split, the Bears record moved to 13-8 overall and 2-2 in Centennial Conference action. Meanwhile, the Fords moved to 6-14 overall and 1-1 after completing their first Centennial doubleheader of the season.
GAME ONE
The Bears opened the game with two-straight singles but were unable to push a run across in the top of the first. Haverford came out of the gates red hot to start as they pushed four runs across on five hits and one error to take the early advantage. Ursinus left two runners on base for the next two innings without scoring a run and kept the Fords from extending their lead until the bottom of the fourth inning. Haverford tallied back-to-back two-out singles and the lead runner came around to score all the way from first after a fielding error in the outfield to make it a 5-0 game. Brennan led the fifth inning off with a double for the Bears and came around to score one batter later when junior Amanda Panati roped a double of her own to right center. Senior Ally St. Jean followed with a single to put two runners on with no outs, but once again Ursinus could not take further advantage. The Fords countered with three runs on two hits and two errors to take a commanding 8-1 lead. All three runs in the inning scored by Haverford came across due to fielding errors. Ursinus pushed their second and final run across in the top of the sixth when Brennan doubled home first-year Samantha Mallen, who started the rally with a one-out single. The Bears moved runners to second and third with two outs in the top of the seventh before a lineout ended the game.
GAME TWO
Ursinus was held off the scoreboard in the top of the first and just like in game one, the Fords took the early lead after scoring two runs on two hits along with one error. This time, however, the Bears responded to tie the game in the top of the second with a pair of runs on four hits and one error. Junior Jordan Moore and Mallen recorded back-to-back singles and each advanced an extra base thanks to an error. Senior Julia Eckels poked a single to right field to tie the game up at two before Brennan notched her 100th hit in the following at-bat. The Bears advanced runners to second and third base in the top of the third inning with one out and sophomore Sara Sullivan came through with a single to score one of the runners to give Ursinus a 3-2 lead. Three-straight hits in the top of the fourth pushed the Bears advantage out to 4-2 as Panati drove in Eckles, who opened the inning with a double to left center. Senior pitcher Kayla McTamney continued to bounce back from a rough first inning to keep the Fords from stringing together a rally by allowing just two hits after the opening frame. Ursinus took advantage of an error in the top of the seventh to extend their lead to 5-2 before first-year Jessica Fusco ripped a single to right field that ended up clearing the bases when the ball went under the Haverford right fielder's glove and all the way to the wall. McTamney retired the Fords in order in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the split.
Brennan went 5-of-9 from the plate with two runs scored and one RBI between the two contests. She is now hitting .593 (16-of-27) over her last seven games played dating back a week. Eckels bounced back from a hitless game one to go 2-of-2 from the plate with two RBI's and two runs scored in game two while Mallen went a combined 4-of-7 from the dish with three runs scored. Fusco went 3-of-4 from the plate in game two and McTamney earned her first complete game of the season after allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits along with one strikeout.
The Bears return to action one week from today on Tuesday, April 12th as they will host Franklin & Marshall for a Centennial Conference doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.