SALISBURY, NC. – The Millersville University softball team opened their season on Thursday with a pair of losses against Catawba College. The Marauders struck first in both games but were unable to maintain their leads as the Indians would capitalize on timely hitting throughout the double header.
 
GAME ONE (CATAWBA 9 – MILLERSVILLE 7)

• Sophomore Aleese Angelo led 'Ville in game one with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate as she crushed a pair of home runs and drove in three of the seven Marauder runs.
• Millersville would plate a run in each of the first two innings before allowing nine unanswered runs in the middle three frames.
• Trailing by six and down to their final out, Millersville was able to pull within two after a grand slam by Gabi Turner helped the Marauders close the gap.
• The comeback would fall short as Gabby Vuocolo would pop up to third to end the game, representing the tying run at the plate. Defense would ultimately cost the Marauders the game as Millersville committed five errors in the loss, allowing eight unearned runs to cross the plate.
• Alex Schaefer took the loss for Millersville after allowing five runs (one earned) over 3 2/3 innings of work.
• Morgan Crutcher would throw a scoreless inning of relief in game one before getting the start in the circle for game two.
• Millersville would tally 12 hits in the loss, as Angelo, Alexis Harkins, and Sam Fried all had multi hit efforts in the season opener.
• The team left 13 runners stranded in the loss.

 
GAME TWO (CATAWBA 8 – MILLERSVILLE 3)

• The Marauders were able to carry their momentum from their four run seventh inning in game one into the start of game two, as Millersville jumped out to a 3-0 lead on four hits in the first inning. Fried delivered the big hit for 'Ville as she roped a double off the wall in right center, brining Alyssa Stover and Turner around to score. That would be all the offense Millersville would muster, as the Marauders only had two hits the rest of the game.
• Millersville would squander the early lead, giving up eight unanswered runs to result in the sweep of the double header.
• Crutcher started in the circle for Millersville after throwing a scoreless inning of relief in game one. She threw 3.1 innings in game two, allowing four runs on four hits, taking the loss in the process.
• Stover and Turner each collected two hits in the loss.

 
REACTION FROM HEAD COACH JEN PROBST:

On Angelo's day at the plate: "Aleese had a great round of BP before the game. She had a strong mental approach before the game started. Aleese is from Ohio and has been missing her family. Today she was able to have an uncle at the game making it a really special day."

On Turners grand slam and the resilience of the lineup: "The way we were swinging it's tough to count us out even down to our last out. Gabi stepped in the box and you could feel that grand slam was coming before she even swung. She had been just missing and it was only a matter of time before she squared one up."
 
On game two: "Game two we wanted to clean things up defensively and push for a quality at bat when bases were loaded, two things we struggled to do in game one. We played much better in the field game two and started the game pushing those runs across. We just weren't able to maintain that offensive output."
 
UP NEXT
The Marauders continue their road trip with a double header against Newberry College on Saturday, with game one set to start at 11 a.m.