TUCSON, Ariz. - Edgewood College went 1-1 for the second-straight day at the Tucson Invitational Games Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Regional Park and nearly shut out Loras College in the nightcap. The Eagles began the day by falling to Denison University 10-2 in five innings before putting together what was perhaps their most complete victory of the season in a 5-1 win over the Duhawks.
Lauren Secaras was unstoppable for Denison in the first game of the day by going 4-for-4 with four RBI and a run scored. One of those hits was a solo shot to left field in the third inning that put Denison up 4-0. The Big Red tacked on three more runs in the inning off of Eagles starting pitcher
Rachel DeJongh before
Shannon Whitmus came on in relief.
A two-RBI double from Secaras and a run on a wild pitch made it 10-0 in the fifth and final inning for Denison. The Eagles bats then came alive in the bottom half of the inning but it proved to be far too late. Singles from
Kayla Updike,
Alexis Unser and
Kylie Clark loaded the bases with no outs to begin the inning. After a line out and a foul out,
Jackie Diesch singled to left to bring in Updike. Unser came around to score in the next at-bat after
Sabrina Maicke reached on an error by the shortstop but that would be the final run that the Eagles could manage.
DeJongh allowed seven runs on 10 hits while Whitmus allowed three runs on three hits over 2.1 innings of work. Seven different Eagles recorded hits in the effort while Diesch recorded the lone RBI.
Karlie Klossner picked up her first win of the season by scattering just four hits over 6.2 innings of work and struck out three Duhawk batters. Diesch gave the Eagles the early lead after an RBI single through the left side that scored Unser and Unser would come up clutch just one inning later by tripling to the right center gap to score Whitmus and
Martha Sommers. The Eagles added one more in the fourth on an error before Loras finally pushed a run across after right fielder Regan Wolverton singled up the middle for an RBI. Clark knocked in an insurance run in the fifth to make it 5-1 Eagles.
Two walks and an error allowed the Duhawks to threaten in the top of the seventh before DeJongh was called on to record the final out. DeJongh got ahead 0-2 in the count on Bria Lenten before inducing a grounder to Clark at shorstop to close things out.
Clark was the lone Eagles batter with multiple hits by finishing 2-for-4 while Unser finished 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs to lead the Eagles offensively. Klossner improved to 1-4 on the year while DeJongh picked up her first save of the season. The Eagles will return to action Monday at 3:30 pm (CT) against the University of Dubuque before squaring off against No. 16 Central College at 5:30 pm (CT).
