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Box Score 4 TUCSON, Ariz. - The softball team headed to Arizona to partake in the Tucson Invitational in the first part of Spring Break. Over three days the girls played six games which included games from teams from all around the country.
Simpson's played Olivet Nazarene from Illinois in the first game of the invitational.
Freshman
Lily Rojas got the nod on the mound in her first collegiate start of her young career.
The Fighting Tigers drew first blood in the second inning as they plated three runs off three hits to grab the early 3-0 lead.
The Red Hawks answered back in the top of the third inning as they plated two runs to pull within one.
A huge double by
Ariel Schulzkump scored the one-out
Nicolena Holen walk.
Adriana Delaney continues to be a run producer as she drove home the second run of the game on a sacrifice fly that scored Schulzkump from third base.
Rojas earned the no-decision as she fired three innings of three-run ball while giving up just three hits.
Sophomore
Jessica Ulshoeffer came in relief of Rojas in the fourth inning.
Simpson tied the game in the top of the fifth inning after a one-out walk by
Madyson Welch came around to score on an error by the Tigers.
But the Tigers broke the tie in the bottom of the seventh inning as they walked it off on a two-out infield dribbler to score the game-winner.
Simpson scattered six hits and were led by two-hit performances by
Madyson Welch and
Amy LeGrande.
Marissa Ramirez and
Ariel Schulzkump rounded out the Red Hawks lineup with single-hit games.
The combined efforts of Rojas and Ulshoeffer allowed just six hits and four runs but Ulshoeffer took the loss after throwing 3.2 innings of one-run ball.
The Red Hawks looked to bounce back behind Jacequelyn Lujan as they took on William Penn University out of Iowa.
Simpson grabbed the early 1-0 lead in the first inning when a
Madyson Welch single drove home
Amy LeGrande for the first run of the game.
Followedby plating two more runs in the second inning off a two-ut rally.
A two-out single by
Jessica Heck came around to score on a triple by
Kayley Vaillette followed by an RBI double by LeGrande to give SU the 3-0 lead.
This is all the support Lujan needed as she tossed a complete game shutout victory.
Lujan had it going on the mound as she scattered five hits and struck out seven William Penn batters.
Amy LeGrande led the Red Hawk bats with a two-hit game followed by single hit performances by Welch, Heck, and
Marissa Ramirez.
Day 2:
The girls faced off against the #12 team in the nation Midland University out of Nebraska.
A pitcher's duel from start to finish as southpaw
Kylee Potes went up against the Warriors ace.
The score remained a 0-0 ball game until the Red Hawks scratched the lone run of the game in the top of the seventh.
A leadoff walk by
Nicolena Holen moved into scoring position on a
Madyson Welch sacrifice bunt with one out.
Kimberlee Walston came through with the turning point of the game as she singled into center field to score Holen from second.
Potes silenced the #12 team in the nation as she struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning to earn the complete game shutout victory.
Potes surrendered just two hits while allowing a staggering five total base runners and punched out eight Warriors.
The nightcap saw Simpson take on Viterbo University from Wisconsin behind freshman starter
Katelyn Thomasson.
The game saw many ups and downs as the Red Hawks and V-Hawks exchanged runs.
The combined efforts of Thomasson,
Jessica Ulshoeffer, and
Isabella Contreras help keep Simpson in the game.
Simpson grabbed the early 3-0 lead until the V-Hawks jumped on Thomasson and tied the game at 3-3.
The game went back and forth with the Red Hawks and V-Hawks tied 6-6 in the top of the fifth inning.
The V-Hawks held a commanding 13-7 lead over Simpson with just three outs left.
Marissa Ramirez got the crazy seventh inning started and passed the stick to pinch hitter
Hannah Hartsburg who came through with a pinch-hit single.
The Red Hawks continued to pass the stick and capitalized off V-Hawks errors to tie the game 13-13.
Hartsburg put the cape on and played hero as she picked up her second hit of the inning with a walk-off single to seal the 14-13 come-from-behind victory.
Day 3:
The girls looked to complete the invitational strong as they took on Midland again and GSAC opponent Ottawa University.
The Warriors struck first in the top half of the first inning as they plated two runs off starter
Jacquelyn Lujan.
Midland had it going in its second time around against Simpson as they plated 10 runs on 11 hits.
The Red Hawks scratched across its lone run of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when an
Amy LeGrande bases loaded walk pushed across
Adriana Delaney.
Simpson threatened in the fifth inning as they loaded the bases with just one out. But the Warriors ended the threat by inducing a strikeout and pop up to hold its 7-1 lead.
The Warriors ended the game in the sixth inning as they padded its 10-1 lead to end the game early.
The second game of the day saw Simpson square off against Ottawa University behind senior starter
Kylee Potes.
Ottawa got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning on a two-run homer.
Simpson scratched one run across in the top of the fourth inning when a lead-off single by
Hannah Hartsburg came around to score on an Ottawa error to make it a 2-1 ballgame.
Ottawa scored an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning as they stole a run on a first and third situation.
The Red Hawks bats could not overcome the two-run deficit as they fell 3-1 to end its Tuscon Invitational.
Jessica Heck led the Red Hawks bats as she put together a two-hit game while
Madyson Welch and
Hannah Hartsburg each notched single-hit performances.
Potes threw another quality start but picked up a tough loss as she surrendered just three runs off four hits while punching out 13 Ottawa batters.
Simpson finishes the invitational going 3-3 against some tough teams and looks to pick things back up in conference play this weekend against Embry-Riddle on Friday.
