DETROIT (3/25/2015) – Senior
Kayla Kostich hit the first pitch thrown in the bottom of the seventh inning over the left field fence to lift the University of Detroit Mercy softball team to a 8-7 win over Eastern Michigan during the Titans home opener on Wednesday.
The Titans dropped the nightcap 11-8 to the Eagles to split the doubleheader at Buysse Ballpark.
Kostich finished the first game 2-of-3 at the plate with two home runs and two RBI, while both
Savanna Ferstle and
Jennifer Cottle hit solo homers for the Titans.
Detroit (2-21) took an early 1-0 lead after Kostich hit her first home run of the game in the bottom of the first inning, before Eastern Michigan (8-16) took a 2-1 lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second.
Detroit then responded with four runs in the bottom of the second, including back-to-back home runs from Ferstle and Cottle, before a two-out single from
Sarah Mauser brought home
Alex Astorga and
Grace Schmeiser to build a 5-2 lead.
The Titans would then add to their lead with an RBI single from
Christa McGahuey to increase their lead to 6-2 through the first three innings.
The Eagles would then answer back with four runs in the top of the fifth inning to tie the score, before taking a 7-6 lead after a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.
Detroit would tie the score in the bottom of the sixth following a key two-out hit from Astorga, before winning it with a walk-off homer from Kostich in the bottom of the seventh.
The Titans scored the first two runs in the nightcap, before EMU answered back with six in the second inning and four more in the third to build a 10-3 lead.
Detroit would score three runs in the bottom of the third off one swing of the bat as Ferstle hit her second home run of the day to bring home McGahuey and
Kat Hoffman to trim the lead to 10-6.
The Eagles would add on another run in the top of the fourth inning to go up 11-6, before a 2-run double from
Sam Henderson trimmed the lead to three, 11-8, but that was as close as the score would get as EMU would hold on for the win.
Detroit will visit Cleveland State for a weekend series against the Vikings on March 27-28. The first-pitch is scheduled for Friday at 3:00 p.m. at Viking Field.
