PEORIA, Ill. - A pair of thrilling matchups ended the Mount Mary University softball team's week at the inaugural MMU Collegiate Slugger Series at the Louisvile Slugger Sports Complex. The Blue Angels dropped a marathon to St. Scholastica, 18-9, early Friday morning before nearly knocking off Wisconsin Lutheran in the series finale. Despite holding a lead for much of the game, Mount Mary would eventually fall to the rival Warriors, 5-1.

The pair of defeats drops Mount Mary to 1-6 overall on the early season, however, the Blue Angels showed plenty of promise after battling several strong regional opponents at the two-weekend Slugger Series.

ST. SCHOLASTICA 18, MMU 9

St. Scholastica and MMU kicked off Friday's schedule with a wild one, combining for 27 runs, 32 hits and six errors in the 18-9, seven-inning decision. Pitchers for both teams combined to throw 322 pitches in the nearly two and a half hour game.

After St. Scholastica (10-1) pushed three runs across in the first, MMU responded with three of its own. Freshman Sam Allen (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) started things off with an RBI double to right center, scoring junior Aislinn Strusz (Aurora, Ill./West Aurora), and a single to center by freshman Marissa Heraly (Brillion, Wis./Brillion) scored Allen from third base. With bases loaded, junior Taylor Hienbuecher (Sycamore, Ill/Sycamore) dropped a perfectly placed Texas leaguer to right to score Heraly with just one out. However, the CSS pitcher would escape with two consecutive Blue Angel strikeouts to hold at 3-3 after one.

The Saints, who scored in all seven innings of offense, added one in the second and four in the third—three of those coming off a misplayed liner to right field that cleared the bases. Three hits and another costly error led to three more unearned runs in the top of the fourth to put CSS ahead 11-3.

The Blue Angels battled back, led off by a Strusz hit-by-pitch and an Allen single to right. Sophomore Brianna Ecker (Fond du Lac, Wis./Stockbridge) perfectly placed a bunt single to advance the runners, and Heraly came through clutch with an RBI rip through the right side. Sophomore Kaitlyn Gilpin (Lyons, Ill./Lyons Township) picked up an RBI of her own, reaching on an error by the Saint shortstop to score Allen, and senior Hannah Harnsberger (Hillsboro, Ore./Jesuit) scored Ecker on a groundout to the right side of the infield to make a dent in the deficit.

Junior Lauren Nylund (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) and Strusz recorded consecutive singles in the bottom of the fifth, and three consecutive walks issued to Allen, Ecker, and Heraly made it 12-8 after five innings.

St. Scholastica's lead swelled to 18-8 with three runs apiece in the tops of the sixth and seventh innings, before Strusz blasted her first homerun of the season deep over the left field fence in the bottom half of the seventh to log the final 18-9 score.

Allen went a perfect 4-for-4 from the plate with a walk in the morning matchup, while Strusz, Heraly, and Hienbuecher picked up a pair of hits apiece. Strusz scored four of the Blue Angel runs herself, while Heraly's three RBI were a personal best on the young season.

Gilpin lasted the duration in the circle, taking her second losing decision of the weekend and season overall. Of the 18 recorded runs-against, five MMU defensive errors led to some long innings, as Gilpin gave up just seven earned runs two walks.

WISCONSIN LUTHERAN 5, MMU 1

Freshman Brianna Lupa (Plano, Ill./Plano) tossed an absolute gem in the second matchup Friday, nearly scoring the upset against crosstown rival Wisconsin Lutheran.

Mount Mary (1-6) struck first blood in the top of the first, as Strusz reached on an error and Allen's hot shot to third put two on with nobody out. Heraly then took an inside pitch deep to left that one-hopped the fence, scoring Strusz. Three consecutive Blue Angels were sat down by the Wisconsin Lutheran pitcher to end the inning as MMU took the early 1-0 lead.

Lupa kept the the Warriors (1-2) in check for most of the game as the Warriors mustered just four hits through the first five innings. That quickly changed in the bottom of the sixth, as a series of defensive lapses broke the game wide open late. A leadoff single and sacrifice bunt put the tying run on second before back-to-back Blue Angel errors and a misplayed sac bunt surged WLC into the lead. The Warriors tacked on three more runs in the inning on a passed ball and two singles, leaving just three outs for Mount Mary to recover.

The Blue Angels put together a rally with two outs led by a single by sophomore Shawna Butler (Ely, Minn./Ely) and Strusz. But a come-backer to the pitcher ended the rally, and the game with a 5-1 final score.

Mount Mary actually outhit Wisconsin Lutheran, 8-7, and seven different Blue Angels recorded a hit. Lupa's complete game was her fourth of the season, striking out four and giving up five runs—none of which were earned.

ON DECK FOR MMU

Mount Mary will take a week off of the competition schedule before preparing for a double-header on Sunday, March 21 against Cardinal Stritch. First pitch for game one is slated for noon at the Rock Sports Complex in Franklin, Wis.