Cardinal softball used the long ball to overcome a sloppy defensive effort beating St. Mary’s Ryken 19-6 in a mercy- rule shortened 6 inning game.
Ireton used home runs by Heather Pearson, Debbie Ward and Emily Quinn plus a Katie Kiesner grand slam to overcome an error filled 3rd inning.
The Knights attacked first on two consecutive hits to start the game yielding their first run. Ireton responded in their half of the inning with a lead off single by Micki Crouch, a Heather Pearson double, and Debbie Ward single to take the 2-1 lead. After a 1,2,3 second inning, the Ireton bats took advantage of two walked batters when Heather Pearson hit her second home run of the season, making the score 5-1. The lead did not last long as the Cardinals committed 3 errors and gave up a home run in the 3rd. A timely time out allowed the girls to regroup and Micki Crouch then sat down the rest of the lineup. The Knights would not score again. Katie Kiesner’s grand slam in the bottom of the inning combined with a Debbie Ward solo shot gave the Cardinals some breathing room and it was 11-6 after 3.
The Lady Cardinals continued to pound the Knights’ slow pitching and moved aggressively around the base paths to put the game out of reach with an 8 run 4th inning. Junior Emily Quinn hit her first career home run. Bridget Degnan went 2 for 2 on the day while Senior Micki Crouch got two hits, including a triple, while striking out 7 from the pitching circle.
“The girls showed a lot of resilience, coming back from a defensive disaster,” said head coach Terri Pearson. “Ryken’s pitching allowed our bats to overcome a subpar defensive performance.”
After being washed out on Saturday with their VISAA matchup with Collegiate School, Ireton has three games this week, home on Monday with Elizabeth Seton and Friday the redbirds host Bishop McNamara with a visit to Holy Cross on Wednesday. First pitch for the home games is set for 4pm.
Bishop Ireton 19 Saint Mary’s Ryken 6 (6)
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
| M Crouch | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| K Kiesner | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| H Pearson | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| D Ward | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| M Sullivan | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| E Quinn | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| M Manzek | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| K Walsh | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| B Degnan | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C Snyder | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 28 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 9 | 1 |
2B: H Pearson
3B: M Crouch
HR: K Kiesner, H Pearson, D Ward, E Quinn
Grand Slam: K Kiesner
TB: M Crouch 4, K Kiesner 4, H Pearson 7, D Ward 6, M Sullivan, E Quinn 5, B Degnan 2
RBI: M Crouch 3, K Kiesner 4, H Pearson 5, D Ward 2, M Sullivan 2, E Quinn 2, K Walsh
S: K Kiesner, M Manzek
FC: K Kiesner
SB: H Pearson 2, D Ward, E Quinn 2, M Manzek, B Degnan 2
| Pitching | O | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | S% |
| M Crouch | 18 | 6.0 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 58.3% |
| Totals | 18 | 6.0 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 58.3% |
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