Dickinson State draws split with Mayville

• Janell LaRont

Press Photo by Royal McGregor Dickinson State freshman Janell LaRont connects with a single to right field as the Blue Hawks split with Mayville State on Saturday at Gress Softball Complex.

Talk about it

With the season past the halfway mark, the Dickinson State softball team is tired of taking splits.

The Blue Hawks’ magic didn’t happen Saturday as they dropped the first game 9-2 against Mayville State, but won the second game 6-3 at Gress Softball Complex.

“We know how to do it,” DSU head coach Kristen Fluery said. “Last weekend we got the four against Valley City. We just have to stay consistent on what we are doing. We’ve got to have our pitchers on. Hitters need to hit and execute.”

The Blue Hawks had a brief talk after losing the opener 9-2 and the conversation worked wonders.

“We had more energy on the field,” DSU freshman third baseman Janell LaRont said. “We were more confident. Our bats were more alive and we were more aggressive at the plate.”

On the other hand, Mayville State wasn’t in the same mood. Comets head coach Tracy Marback said her team was too aggressive to start the game.

“We wanted to come out aggressive,” she said. “I think we came out too aggressive swinging at the first pitch. Defensively we were ready to play that second game.”

The Blue Hawks jumped out to a 6-1 lead after junior Dani Benito drove in a run on a bunt single.

From start to finish, Taysia Kaufman was in control, throwing all seven innings and allowing three runs.

“The pitchers threw well,” Fluery said. “We just had that one inning and that’s what’s been hurting us — one inning a game. We can’t have those innings against good teams.”

In the first game, the Comets got a boost from senior Angelique Macias, who ripped a two-run homer that broke a 1-1 tie.

Mayville State wasn’t done in the game and made the chance of a comeback tough scoring six runs in the seventh inning.

“Offensively we’ve done well all season long,” Marback said. “We just have some defensive blunders and that’s what happened in the second game.”

Regan Lawrence was the pitcher that was charged with the loss in the first game. She threw 6 1/3 innings and allowed eight runs. Tiffany Morgan came on in relief and threw the final two-thirds of an inning and allowed one run.

For the Comets, Ashley McMahon pitched both games. She threw a combined 14 innings and allowed nine runs.

“She was hitting her spots and I think that was the key,” Marback said. “She typically does well with that. The main thing is she focused and hit her spots. That’s really what kept her in both games.”

The Blue Hawks want to quit splitting games with opponents and LaRont said it’s as simple as just proving it.

“We’ve been splitting pretty much every time we play,” LaRont said. “We just have to get it together now and enough of the talking and just do it.”

Mayville State has seen its fair share of splits throughout the season and Marback said it’s an area they are working on as well.

“We’ve struggled with that (getting a sweep) all year,” Marback said. “Our record shows that we split all the time. We were just trying to figure out how to get that second game.”

The two teams meet up again at 1 p.m. today at Gress Softball Complex.

Scoreline

M 100 020 6 — 9 13 0

D 001 000 1 — 2 8 0

Ashley McMahon and catchers. Regan Lawrence, Tiffany Morgan (7) and Aubrey Ayala. W–McMahon. L–Lawrence. HR–M, Angelique Macias.

Highlights: D, Lindsey Sullivan 2-for-2; Erika Nowack 2-for-3, 3B; Jessica Huseby 1-for-2; Morgan 1-for-1; Janell LaRont 1-for-3; Taysia Kaufman 1-for-4.

Scoreline

M 000 100 2 — 3 4 0

D 121 110 x — 6 11 1

McMahon and catchers. Taysia Kaufman and Ayala. W–Kaufman. L–McMahon. HR–Sullivan.

Highlights: D, Kaufman 2-for-3, 3 runs, 2B; Vanesssa Adame 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2B; Sullivan 2-for-3, HR, RBI; Huseby 1-for-2; Benito 1-for-3; Nowack 1-for-3; Claudia Torres 1-for-2; LaRont 1-for-4.

Records: D 19-16, M 15-16

Tags: college softball, blue hawks, sports, dsu