Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Melbourne, Fla. - The Marian softball team won their opening games on their spring break trip Monday afternoon, taking down Concordia and Calumet College to improve to 4-0 overall on the season. The Knights won 10-3 over Concordia and 6-2 over Calumet.

Game 1 | Marian 10-3 Concordia
The Knights wasted little time jumping on the scoreboard to open their first game in Florida, plating three runs in the top of the first as the bases filled quickly with one out singles by Anna Pritchett and Abby Madere, while Sierra Norman was hit by a pitch. After a fielder's choice grounder, a walk to Hayley Greene pushed in the first run, while Grace Meyer and Lily Wendt followed with RBI hits, putting the power behind the four-run inning. Concordia would respond after getting out of the inning, as Olivia Stunkel allowed a two-run triple to the third batter in the inning, while a ground out would score the Cardinals third run. Stunkel escaped the inning with the lead, as Marian led 4-3 after six outs of softball.

The Knights tacked on another run in the top of the second as a double from Madere scored a lead-off walk drawn by Savannah Harweger, and Stunkel calmly pitched a three-batter second to keep the 5-3 lead. Marian looked to add more to their lead in the top of the third, with Harweger driving in two runs on her own triple, once again giving her team a four-run lead. Stunkel escaped a jam in the third as she stranded three lead-off base hits with a strikeout closing the inning, and in the fourth inning scattered a one-out walk to hold the 7-3 advantage.

In the top of the fifth inning, Marian put the game out of reach, as three more runs crossed the plate. A walk to Wendt and single by Harweger put two runners on base, and an error off the bat of Brenna Fink allowed Wendt's pinch-runner Ella Piercy to score. Madere would add an RBI groundout and Sierra Norman charged an RBI single, giving Marian their total of 10 runs for the game.

Stunkel finished her outing strong retiring the side in order in the fifth inning, while in the sixth inning the junior pitcher stranded a single and walk with two strikeouts holding Marian's 10-3 lead in tact. Jaylah Guilliam would finish the game in the circle, pitching a three-up, three-down frame in the seventh to cap Marian's 10-3 win.

Madere and Harweger led the team in hits with three each, with each player posting an extra base hit. The outfielder and shortstop each had two RBI, while Grace Meyer also had two RBI in the win. Anna Pritchett and Lily Wendt each finished the game with two hits. Stunkel improved to 2-0 on the season with the win, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. The junior struckout four batters in six innings.

Game 2 | Marian 6-2 Calumet
Marian looked poised to score early in the second game of the day as they put three runners on base in the top of the first inning, but came up empty in their quest for runs. The Knights would strand a runner in the top of the second as well, and in the bottom of the frame the Crimson Wave struck first as they put a run on the board. Macy Coan made her first career start in the game, and after pitching a perfect first inning saw three base hits score a run against the starter.

Both sides were scoreless in the third inning, but in the top of the fourth inning Marian responded as Caroline Roop delivered an RBI single to drive Hayley Green home. The tie score wouldn't last long, as in the bottom of the fourth a one-out double and two-out single produced a run for Calumet, putting Marian back in the trail position. 

Coan got out of the jam and in the top of the fifth got a run back as the score was tied once more, with Savannah Harweger scoring on a sacrifice fly hit by Sierra Norman. The freshman Coan kept the game tied in the home half of the fifth with a strikeout ending the inning, and in the top of the sixth got her first lead of the game, with four runs crossing with two outs. Harweger drove in two runs with a two-out single, and after Anna Pritchett drew a walk, a two-RBI single from Abby Madere drove in Marian's fifth and sixth runs of the game. Coan showed poise closing out the game in the circle, pitching a perfect sixth and a four-batter seventh, closing her first career complete game as a 6-2 victor.

Harweger, Madere, and Greene each had two of Marian's nine hits in the game, and Coan logged her first career win as she went the distance. Coan earned a pair of strikeouts and allowed seven hits in her complete game win.

Marian will return to the diamond tomorrow, taking on Michigan-Dearborn and Roosevelt.

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