The Benedictine Mesa softball team split its doubleheader against Simpson on Wednesday afternoon. The Redhawks secured a thrilling 6-5 victory in game one but fell 15-7 in game two.
Game 1:Â In a dramatic, back-and-forth battle, Benedictine Mesa edged out Simpson 6-5 in extra innings.
The Redhawks started strong in the first inning. G. Perez doubled to center field, bringing in
Brandee Ayala and advancing
Annaleia Jenkins to third.
Shayera McDaniel followed with a groundout to second, allowing Jenkins to score.
Leiana Madrazo capped off the frame with a sacrifice fly to left field, giving Benedictine Mesa an early 3-0 lead.
Simpson responded in the second, cutting the deficit to one. Welch singled to center to score Jamison, and Walker's sacrifice fly brought in Vaillette, making it 3-2.
Benedictine Mesa added to its lead in the fourth when
Annaleia Jenkins singled to shortstop, scoring
Paige Salazar for a 4-2 advantage. However, Simpson continued to chip away, with an RBI single from Blanco in the sixth and an RBI groundout by Vaillette in the seventh, tying the game at 4-4.
In the ninth, Simpson took its first lead of the game on a Lopez-Cor groundout that brought in Soria. But the Redhawks refused to back down.
Paige Salazar came through with a clutch RBI double to left, scoring
Amaya Ruiz to tie it up. Moments later,
Gabrielle Perez advanced to second on a passed ball, allowing Salazar to cross home plate for the game-winning run, sealing a thrilling 6-5 victory.
Game 2:Â Despite a strong start from Benedictine Mesa, Simpson used a dominant eighth inning to pull away for a 15-7 win.
The Redhawks came out firing in the first inning.
Shayera McDaniel drew a bases-loaded walk to score
Brandee Ayala, followed by a passed ball that allowed A. Jenkins to cross home plate.
Leiana Madrazo then delivered a key triple to left field, driving in two more runs for an early 4-0 lead.
Simpson answered in the second inning with an offensive explosion. Holen crushed a three-run homer, cutting the deficit to one, and Soria followed with a solo home run to tie the game at 4-4. Simpson then took a 5-4 lead on Vaillette's RBI single.
Benedictine Mesa tied it up again in the fourth with a solo home run from
Chloe Wright. However, Simpson regained control in the fifth, scoring twice on an RBI single from Benson and an RBI double from Holen to take a 7-5 lead.
The Redhawks fought back, adding a run in the sixth on a
Gabrielle Perez RBI double and evening the score at 7-7 in the seventh after an RBI single from
Annaleia Jenkins. But Simpson put the game away with a devastating eight-run eighth inning. Jamison and Welch each delivered RBI singles, followed by a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Diaz. Benson tacked on an RBI single before Holen launched his second homer of the game—a grand slam—sealing the 15-7 win for Simpson.
Key Players
Looking Ahead
The Redhawks return to action on Friday, March 14, as they take on OUAZ at home.
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