MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – The Millersville softball team continued its dominance after an eleven-day hiatus, downing the Bloomfield Bears 6-1 and then 12-4. Aleese Angelo recorded six hits in six at-bats while driving eight runs in the two games and Sami Fried recorded her one hundredth hit as part of a five hit afternoon.
 
GAME ONE:
Fried opened the game with a diving play on a line drive to second base before starting pitcher Nicolina Pezzone settled in and struck out the next two batters. Angelo collected the Marauders' first hit of the game with a smash through the right side in the bottom of the inning but was left on base. The top of the inning began with a stellar defensive play from Taylor Campagna. She ranged to her right and snagged a line drive in foul territory on the dive.
 
Bloomfield struck first on the scoreboard. After a one-out walk in the third inning, the runner stole second and scored on a single up the middle to put the visitors up 1-0. That was the only hit Pezzone allowed through the first four frames. The Marauders answered right back in the bottom of the third when Angelo belted her first home run of the season over the right field fence to knot the game at one.
 
Two innings later, the Marauders took control of the game. After Carly Vaughan led off the inning with a walk and Hailey Watlington reached on an error, Kendra Bumgardner put the hosts on top with a line drive single to left field. That brought Angelo to the dish with runners on first and second and a chance to break the game open. The senior did just that, lining a double into the right field gap and scoring both runners to extend the lead to 4-1.
 
They tacked on two more runs in their next at-bat by tallying three hits and taking advantage of two Bloomfield miscues. One of those hits was who else but Angelo, who ended the game a perfect four for four.
 
Angelina Saverase came on in relief in the sixth inning and shut the Bears down over the final two frames. Pezzone's final line read five innings pitched, three hits and one earned run.

GAME TWO:
After allowing a run in the top of the first inning, the Marauders answered right back yet again. Fried led off with a line drive single to right field and the red-hot Angelo followed with a hit-by-pitch. Gabby D'Ottavio bounced one back to the circle which the pitcher fielded, but then overthrew third base in an attempt to get the lead runner. Fried scored to tie the game at one, but Millersville was far from finished.
 
Bumgardner then reached on an infield single which set the stage for Watlington. She ripped a ball over the left fielder's head to drive in two baserunners. A few Marauder batters later and Angelo came to the dish with the bases loaded. She cleared the bases with her third extra-base hit of the afternoon, a double to right field that put the Marauders up 8-1.
 
Millersville finished the job in the bottom of the fifth. After a leadoff double, an infield single, and a single up the middle, Ellie Soucy came to the plate with the bases juiced and one out. She ended the game with a double to center field that plated all three runners and put the mercy rule into effect up 12-4.
 
GAME NOTES

• The Marauders stayed flawless against the Bears all time. Coming in they were 2-0 against Bloomfield and that mark moves to 4-0.
• Millersville's next home game will be over a month from now; The Marauders' next home date is scheduled for March 26 against East Stroudsburg.

POSTGAME REACTION FROM HEAD COACH JEN PROBST

• On her biggest takeaways: " I think that was the definition of a team win. We were able to make substitutes and move people around defensively with out skipping a beat. I made a lot of pitching changes they continued to get people out."
• On the pinch-hitting and running success: "The work ethic at practice is very strong. In addition to that, you also see that the non-starters don't just sit around during the game. Everybody's always doing something; the pitchers are always here or throwing in the bullpen. If someone's not in the game, they're always swinging or running, getting ready. So it makes me feel really confident that I can make a substitution on a cold day like this and they'll be ready to go."

UP NEXT

• The Marauders have the rest of the month off before traveling to South Carolina to take on Newberry on March 2. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.