ELLICOTT CITY, Md. – Bitter cold. High winds. I guess Mother Nature didn't get the memo that we're closer to May than March. The Notre Dame of Maryland Gators and the Clarks Summit Defenders braved the elements, dealing with numbing hands, stiff leather, extra "sting" when you don't hit the ball in the "sweet spot" of the bat. For one team, it would be all the more worth it, as the Defenders would take both ends of the doubleheader, 8-3, and 15-5.
Game 1
Jessie Leatherwood was the Gators starting pitcher and continued to rack up the strikeouts. A category that entering the day, she ranked third in the conference. She would get all three outs in the first inning via the strikeout. But the Defenders were aggressive on the base paths all day, and the risk worked in their favor. They executed a double steal to score the first run of the game, and an unearned second run put the Gators down 2-0 before the Gators got to bat.
Catcher,
Miranda Burton, not only swung a hot bat in the cold weather, but tried to let the opposition know that they wouldn't be able to run wild on the bases, ending the second inning by cutting down a runner stealing second.
Clarks Summit added to their lead with two more runs in the third, and two more in the top of the fifth. It was 6-0 when the Gators broke through with the bats. Burton hit a two-run home run down the left field line. Hitting is contagious and the Gators tacked on with three more hits,
Rena Dyson with an RBI base hit to right field, and they had cut the lead in half at 6-3.
They had a couple harder hit balls in the sixth and seventh innings, but right at the opposing fielders as they couldn't get another rally going. The Gators dropped game one, 8-3. Leatherwood would strike out 13 batters over seven innings pitched.
Game 2
The Gators would out-hit the Defenders in game two, 15-11. But they were not able to manufacture the runs as Clarks Summit won on the scoreboard, 15-5. Every time Clarks Summit scored in the top half of an inning, the Gators answered back with scores in their half.
The game started in a similar fashion to game one, with the Defenders jumping out to a 2-0 lead.
Maci Lopez would lead off the bottom of the first with a double, one of her four hits in the game, and Jessie Leatherwood would drive her in with a single.
Leading off the home half of the third, Miranda Burton blasted her second home run of the twin bill, this time to the power alley in left-center field, striking high up on a tree beyond the outfield fence. The solo shot made it a 3-2 game.
In the fourth, Clarks Summit extended their lead to 7-2, with the final three runs coming with two outs, after an apparent caught stealing was overturned after the umpires discussed the matter. In the bottom half, the Gators rallied to load the bases.
Andreina Franco-Ramos picked up an RBI single, bringing Burton to the plate. She hit a hard hit ball down the third base line, destined for extra bases. But the third baseman guarding the line made a backhanded stop, momentum taking her to the base for the force, and the hard hit ball gave her time to fire across the diamond to complete the double play. A matter of inches was the difference in 7-3 and the inning over, or possibly 7-6, tie game, taking the lead perhaps?
Jessie Leatherwood, approaching nearly 300 pitches between the two games, gave way to Maci Lopez with one out in the seventh inning. It was the juniors first time taking the circle, but she held her own. Issued three walks while getting a feel for it, but then registered two strikeouts swinging to close the frame.
Clarks Summit completed the sweep.
Up next
With their first home game in the books, it's back on the road for their next two matchups. NDMU will be at Rosemont College for a Saturday doubleheader, with first pitch at 1:00pm. Then it's off to Cedar Crest on Monday for two, first pitch at 3:00pm.
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