Mary’s 11 Strikeouts, Third-Inning Rally Power Southwestern Softball Past Litchfield 4-2

Hannah Mary delivered a dominant performance in the circle, striking out 11 batters to lead the Southwestern varsity softball team to a 4-2 home conference victory over Litchfield on Friday afternoon.

The game was a pitchers’ duel early, with both Mary and Litchfield starter Alexis Mielke trading zeroes through the first two innings. Southwestern finally broke the deadlock in the bottom of the third, capitalizing on a mix of patient plate appearances and timely hitting. The Piasa Birds erupted for three runs in the frame, sparked by Vivian Zurheide, who finished the day 2-for-3 with a run scored. S. Stormer also delivered the game’s biggest clutch hit, driving in a pair of runs to give Southwestern a 3-0 advantage.

Litchfield responded in the top of the fourth, manufacturing a run to cut the deficit to 3-1. Aria Feeley was a constant bright spot for the visiting Litchfield offense, putting together a perfect 3-for-3 performance at the plate, which included a double and an RBI. However, Southwestern immediately answered in the bottom half of the inning, adding an insurance run to push their lead back to three.

Mielke pitched well in defeat for Litchfield, tossing six complete innings while striking out seven and allowing just three earned runs. Despite Mielke’s ability to limit the damage, the Litchfield lineup struggled to string together consistent offense against Mary’s overwhelming command.

Litchfield pushed one final run across in the top of the sixth inning to make it a 4-2 game, but Mary quickly shut the door. The Southwestern ace completed the complete-game victory by navigating the seventh inning without incident, finishing her brilliant outing with 11 strikeouts, two walks, and just two earned runs allowed over seven innings of work.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• Third Inning:

  • Southwestern breaks the scoreless tie with a 3-run outburst.

• Fourth Inning:

  • Litchfield gets on the board with 1 run.

  • Southwestern answers with 1 run in the bottom half to extend the lead to 4-1.

• Sixth Inning:

  • Litchfield plates 1 run to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Individual Statistics

BATTING:

• Southwestern: V. Zurheide (2-3, 1 R); S. Stormer (1-2, 2 RBI, 1 BB); M. Pruitt (1-3); J. Hagen (1-3, 1 R); M. Wolff (0-2, 1 R, 2 BB); H. Mary (0-4, 1 R).

• Litchfield: A. Feeley (3-3, 2B, 1 RBI); E. Estell (1-4, 1 R); C. Bono (0-2, 1 R, 1 BB); K. Hemken (0-3); M. Rimar (0-3).

PITCHING:

• Southwestern: H. Mary (W, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K).

• Litchfield: A. Mielke (L, 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 BB, 7 K).