DETROIT (4/20/19) -- The University of Detroit Mercy softball team took both games in a doubleheader versus Green Bay on Saturday afternoon to clinch an overall series victory, 2-1.
On the day,
Jordan Manno had five hits, one RBI and two runs,
Courtney Gilbert had one hit, one run and two RBI and
McKenna Tanguay had two hits, one run and an RBI.
Liz Murphy epitomized dominance in the circle, tossing 12 innings, scattering a mere 5 hits, zero earned runs and 12 strikeouts.
DETROIT MERCY 2 – GREEN BAY 0
Liz Murphy got the nod in game one and continued her dominance from the Bowling Green series.
She tossed a complete game shutout where she gave up only two hits and struckout seven in the process.
The game was knotted at 0-0 until
Jen Lorenz led off the fifth inning with a double down the left field line.
Manno followed suit, doubling down the left field line and driving Lorenz home to give the Titans the lead, 1-0.
Manno showcased her speed by stealing third, and with only one out on the board, head coach
John Conway called for a suicide squeeze.
As per usual,
Kori Keyes executed to perfection, laying down a picture perfect bunt, allowing Manno to score and doubling the Titans lead to 2-0.
That was all the room Murphy needed in game one, allowing only one hit over the next three innings to secure a 2-0 victory for the Titans.
DETROIT MERCY 6 -- GREEN BAY 4
The Titans wasted little times getting things started in game two.
After a flyout, Manno singled to right center, followed by a walk from Keyes and a passed ball, putting two runners in scoring position for Tanguay.
As she's done all season long, Tanguay capitalized on the opportunity, drove a single into center field and gave the Titans a 1-0 lead early in the game.
Tanguay then showcased her speed, stealing second base safely and allowed Keyes to score safely on the play, doubling the lead to 2-0.
Alyssa Lang then singled up the middle, advancing Tanguay to third and stole second, providing an opportunity for Tanguay to head home on a throwing error from the Phoenix catcher, making the score 3-0.
In the process, Lang moved to third, and scored on a hard hit grounder by
Ellie Boteler, extending the Titans lead to 4-0.
Green Bay chipped away at the Titans lead, putting a run on the board in the bottom of the first and two runs in the bottom of the second, making the score 4-3, but the red, white and blue never wavered.
In the top of the fourth,
Emily Wagenbrenner doubled down the left field line, sparking new life for the Titans offense.
With a runner in scoring position, Gilbert saw a pitch she could not pass up, and tattooed it over the fence down the left field line, bringing the Titans lead up to 6-3.
The Phoenix put one run on the board in the bottom of the seventh, but the Titans defense was up to the task, clinching a win by a final of 6-4.
Ashley Mauser got the start in game two, but was only able to go two innings, scattering four hits, three runs (zero earned), and two strikeouts.
Murphy took over in the third and went the rest of the way, tossing five innings, scattering three hits, one run (zero earned), and five strikeouts in the victory.
ON DECK
The Titans will have a week off before playing host to Horizon League foe Northern Kentucky at Buysse Ballpark on April 26-27.
