DETROIT (4/25/2015) – Senior Sam Henderson hit a grand slam as the University of Detroit Mercy softball team took the first game of the weekend series against Horizon League foe Valparaiso 16-3 in five innings. The Crusaders bounced back to win the nightcap 7-5 Saturday at Buysse Ballpark.
 
Detroit (6-38, 2-12 HL) opened the first game with a bang as junior Christa McGahuey drove in three runs with her team leading ninth home run of the season. Senior Kat Hoffman led off with a double to left center, before classmate Kayla Kostich walked to put two runners on for McGahuey.
 
Valparaiso (12-31, 6-10 HL) would respond with one run in the second and two more in the top of the third to tie the score 3-3, before the Titans exploded with seven runs in the bottom half of the third.
 
Freshman Alex Astorga led off the rally with a single, before both Kostich and McGahuey walked to load the bases. A single to right filed from Katy Severson gave the lead back to Detroit 4-3, before Jennifer Cottle walked to bring home another run to make the score 5-3 with the bases loaded.
 
Henderson then blasted her first home run of the season to dead center to clear the bases and give Detroit a 9-3 lead.
 
The third inning rally would continue as senior Vanessa Garcia would single to center, followed by a single from Hoffman and a walk to Astorga to load the bases for Kostich, who singled right field to make the score 10-3. McGahuey then struck out, before Savanna Ferstle grounded out to third to end the inning.
 
But the Titans picked up right where they left off in the fourth inning with six more runs on five hits and two walks, to make the final 16-3.
 
McGahuey pitched five innings with six hits, three earned runs and four strikeouts to earn the win.
 
The Crusaders scored the first four runs of the second game, before Cottle hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning, followed by a 2-run double to left center from Kostich in the fourth inning to make the score 4-3.
 
Valparaiso would increase its lead to 7-3 following a 3-run homer from Stephanie Moreno in the top of the seventh, before Cottle hit her second long ball of the game in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn't enough as the Crusaders bounced back to split the first day of the weekend series.  
 
Detroit will concluded its weekend series with Valparaiso on Sunday and will honor its seniors before the first pitch scheduled for noon at Buysse Ballpark.