MADISON, Wis. - The Rockford University softball team opened NACC play with an exciting road split on Sunday afternoon at Edgewood College. Rockford dropped the opener 4-3 in 12 innings, which was the longest game in school history, before scoring a 6-5 comeback win in the nightcap. The Regents held one-run leads twice in game one (2-1 and 3-2), but unfortunately, the Eagles won the game on a walk-off, two-run home run by Olivia Hebert in the bottom of the 12th inning. Rockford found itself down 5-2 after the first inning, but battled back with three in the third to tie the game, and then scored what turned out to be in the winning run off an
Emily Down RBI single in the top of the seventh.
Edgewood 4 Rockford 3 (12 Innings)
- Edgewood took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. The Eagles had two hits in the frame and took advantage of a Regent error to score the first run of the game.
- The score remained unchanged until the Regents took the lead in the top of the fifth. Bella Lima tied the game at 1-1 on an RBI triple to center field. One batter later, Candace Kipp drove in Lima with an RBI infield single and gave her team a 2-1 advantage.
- However, the Eagles responded with another unearned run in the bottom half of the inning to knot the game at 2-2.
- Pitching and defense dominated the next six innings, with neither team scoring a run. The Regents defense came up huge in the eighth, tenth and eleventh innings. In the eighth, Rockford turned a double play with a runner on third to end the scoring threat. Rockford then cut down what would have been the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the tenth. Finally, the Regents threw out yet another runner at the plate in the bottom of the eleventh, this time to end the inning.
- The RU offense finally broke through with a single run in the 12th inning. Jocelyn Callahan tripled in Candace Kipp to give Rockford a 3-2 lead heading into the home half of the frame.
- Unfortunately, the Regents were unable to hold the lead. With a runner on first and two outs, Olivia Hebert hit a walk-off, two-run home run to give the Eagles the 4-3 win.
Rockford 6 Edgewood 5
- This time it was the Regents who took an early lead with a pair of runs in the top of the first. Following back-to-back walks to start the game, Emily Down doubled in a pair of runs to put her team out in front 2-0.
- Unfortunately, the Eagles plated five runs in the bottom half of the first, two of which were unearned, to jump out to 5-2 lead.
- The Regents were able to battle back and tie the game in the third with a trio of runs. Bella Lima led off the inning with a triple and then scored on a Candace Kipp RBI double. One batter later, Kariana Williams ripped an RBI triple of her own to score Kipp and make it a 5-4 game. Rockford would tack on one additional run to tie the game later on in the inning via an Emily Down RBI groundout.
- Senior pitcher Mariah Martinez came in and shut the Eagles down over the next five innings. Martinez retired 14 of her first 16 batters, including seven straight hitters on two different occasions. Edgewood did threaten in the sixth, but the RU defense was able to throw out a runner trying to go from first to third on a ball hit to center, to end the inning and the threat.
- The Regent offense then broke through with a single run in the seventh to retake the lead. Rockford was able to load the bases without a hit and then Emily Down drove in what turned out to be the game-winning run on an RBI single through the right side of the infield.
- The game would end in the bottom of the seventh on yet another outstanding play by the Rockford defense. With a runner on second and two outs, Jenna Sanchez singled up the middle, but Jocelyn Callahan was able to gather the ball behind second and throw out the tying run at the plate to end the game and secure the Regents' 6-5 comeback win.
Game 1
- Bella Lima finished 3-for-6 and tied the RU single-game record with 2 triples. She also scored a run and drove in a run.
- Candace Kipp went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and 3 walks.
- Jocelyn Callahan was 2-for-6 with a triple and an RBI.
- Rockford's three triples in the game as a team also tied the school record.
- Mariah Martinez went 5.1 innings and allowed just 2 unearned runs. She also struck out a pair of batters.
- Rylee Klema tossed the final 6.1 innings. Klema allowed 2 runs and struck out 5 batters.
Game 2
- Emily Down finished 3-for-4 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs.
- Kariana Williams was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored.
- Candace Kipp went 1-for-2 with a double, 2 runs scored, an RBI and 2 walks.
- Mariah Martinez earned the win to improve to 6-2 this season. She went 5 innings, allowed 0 runs and struck out 1 batter.
- Rylee Klema threw the ninth to earn her second save of the year.
