Senior Samantha Hypes homered in game one and drove in two runs in game two to send the Knights to the decisive third game.

MISHAWAKA, Indiana - The Marian College softball team salvaged a split in the opening doubleheader of the best two-out-of-three MCC championship series at No. 7 Bethel on Friday afternoon.

 

The Knights dropped game one, 5-1, after allowing three unearned runs while they earned a dramatic comeback victory in game two, 6-5, by scoring four runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Knights are 16-1 in their last 17 games.

 

In game one, the Pilots took a quick 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning on two unearned runs. However, the Knights got one back in the bottom of the first as senior Samantha Hypes (Plainfield, Indiana/Plainfield) hit her second home run of the season to cut the score to 2-1.

 

Bethel scored three runs in the third to take a 5-1 lead and the Knights were unable to recover as they struggled at the plate in the final six innings.

 

Senior Heather Pieper (Greenwood, Indiana/Greenwood) fell to 19-4 on the season, but threw her 19th complete game and struck out five.

 

Sophomore Jessica Slayton (Indianapolis/Decatur Central) led the Knights after she went 2-for-4 in game one.

 

The day's second game looked like more of the same as the Knights faced the MCC Pitcher of the Year. Bethel took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third as Brittney Hire was on cruise control through the first five innings.

 

However, the Knights finally got to her in the top of the sixth as junior Melissa Coutz (Indianapolis/Bishop Chatard) hit a two-run single to cut the gap to 3-2. Bethel answered with a pair of its own to take a 5-2 lead into the top of the seventh, and final, inning.

 

An RBI-single by freshman Kelsey Uebelhor (St. Anthony, Indiana/Forest Park) started the scoring in the top of the seventh as the Knights looked to rally. After the bases filled with Knights, Hypes came through with a two-run single to tie the game, 5-5, with nobody out.

 

Junior Chelsea Young (Brownsburg, Indiana/Brownsburg) came through with an RBI to give the Knights the one-run lead, 6-5. The question was: could they hold the top of the Pilots' lineup?

 

Junior Sandy Corum (North Vernon, Indiana/Jennings County) emphatically answered that question as she sent the 1-2-3 hitters down in order in the bottom of the seventh to secure the doubleheader split. Corum threw her 10th complete game of the season and struck out four to improve to 14-0 on the season.

 

Hypes went 2-for-4 with two RBI in game two, while Uebelhor went 2-for-3 with an RBI for the Knights. Coutz went 1-for-3 with two RBI to send the Knights to the third game of the series.

 

The two teams will hook up for the third and deciding game on Saturday afternoon at 12 noon in Mishawaka, Indiana.