After sweeping Benning?ton earlier in the week, the Marion softball team moved to 8-6 in the Heart of America league after dropping two games to Ell-Saline Thursday.
?We made some mental errors both offensively and defensively that were costly, and we left a bunch of runners on,? coach Jennifer Felvus said. ?We have to convert opportunity to runs, and we just didn?t do that in Ell-Saline.?
The Warriors lost Game 1, 10-0, in six innings.
Marion mustered only two hits?one each from Sam Davies and Shyla Harris?while committing five errors.
Megan Richmond absorbed the pitching loss. Over 52?3 innings, she gave up 13 hits and 10 runs (four earned). She walked no one and threw four strikeouts.
Despite playing errorless ball in Game 2, Marion once again lost to the Cardinals in six innings, this time, 12-2.
Trailing 10-0, Marion scored two runs in the fifth inning on a Kayla Kroupa single. Ell-Saline added a run in the fifth and sixth innings to run-rule the game.
Kroupa was 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
Richmond pitched the second game as well and sustained the loss, as the Warriors lost Shelby Felvus to injury at Bennington earlier in the week. Over 51?3 innings, Richmond gave up 16 hits and 12 runs (11 earned). She walked five batters with no strikeouts.
?Ell-Saline has good hitters, and Megan Richmond did a great job pitching Game 1, but by midway through Game 2, they were pretty well on her although she continued to perform well.
?It really comes down to the mental mistakes. We didn?t play the ball we are capable of.?
Bennington?Marion swept the Bulldogs in two run-rule victories Tuesday.
?Our bats were hot at Bennington, and the runners were doing a good job of always looking to advance and really putting pressure on the defense,? coach Jennifer Felvus said. ?We also had great pitching in Bennington, which is always a plus.?
Marion won Game 1, 10-0, in six innings.
Neither team scored in the first inning, but Marion got on the board with a run in the second. The Warriors added three runs in the third inning. Sam Davies opened the inning with a triple. Kayla Kroupa later hit a double, and Shyla Harris, an RBI single.
After that, Marion scored one run in the fourth before adding five runs to seal the game in the top of the sixth. Davies opened the inning with a home run. Later, Megan Richmond hit an RBI triple and Elizabeth Meyer knocked out a home run.
Davies was 3-for-4, including a home run and a triple, and had one RBI. Meyer also homered. Richmond hit a triple and a double, while Kroupa had two doubles.
Richmond was the winning pitcher. Over six innings, she gave up four hits and no runs. She walked four batters and struck out nine.
Marion won Game 2 in three innings, 18-3.
A double by Megan Richmond drove in Marion?s first two runs, and the Warriors led, 3-2, after the first inning.
Marion took control with an eight-run second inning, which included a two-run home run by Shelby Felvus, an RBI triple from Shayla Kline and a Bailey Robson single that scored one run. Megan Richmond and Paige May hit doubles in the inning.
The Warriors outscored Bennington 7-1 in the third inning to end the game. Highlighting the inning were a Felvus triple to start things off and a home run by Richmond. Kline contributed a double.
Richmond was 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Kline was 3-for-3 with two RBIs.
Felvus was the winning pitcher. Over two innings, she gave up two hits and two runs (none earned). She walked two batters and struck out four.
Coming?Marion (8-6, 9-9) was scheduled to host Little River Tuesday in a non-league regular-season finale.
?As we look at the final regular season game, and on to post-season, we are really going to be working on pressure situations in practice,? Felvus said. ?The only way to convert on opportunities is to be prepared for them.
?I really expect great performances out of all the girls as we finish up. I have seen a lot of improvement over the season, and I am hoping that all peaks right now when it is important.?
The Warriors (9-9) will compete in the Southeast of Saline regional tournament Monday and Tuesday. In addition to the host school and the Warriors, teams include Herington/White City, Hesston, Hutchinson Trinity, Lyons/Chase and Salina-Sacred Heart. The seedings will be posted at hillsborofreepress.com as soon as they become available.
