• Result: MBU 5-11 Silver Lake, MBU 4-3 Silver Lake
• Venue: Vietnam Veterans Park, Two Rivers, Wis.
• Attendance: 29, 21
• Record: Maranatha finishes the season at 2-24

THE LEAD

TWO RIVERS, Wis. – Everything clicked for the Sabercats in the final game of the season, as they wrapped up the year with a satisfying 4-3 win over Silver Lake College.

After a season where the wins were elusive, the Sabercats were rewarded for their persistence on the final day of the campaign. Every player in the Sabercats' batting order recorded a hit in the doubleheader, as it was a total team win on a wild night on the shores of Lake Michigan.

THE STORY

The hosts looked menacing in the opening game of the doubleheader, as they recorded four runs through the opening two frames. Maranatha put one run on the board in the top of the second, when a hard-hit single from Taylor Thome and a perfectly placed bunt from Kylee Zempel put two runners on base for MBU. Heads-up baserunning from the duo allowed Thome to score and Zempel to advance to second on a passed ball, but three consecutive outs stopped the scoring there.

Tina Kolinski played to her strengths and stole two bases in the top of the third, which made Harmony Bailey's single to left field an easy RBI and an easy second run for MBU. Two-run ballgame.

Silver Lake then extended the lead to 6-2 when they scored two runs in the fourth, but MBU made it an interesting game in the top of the fifth. Katie Bender mashed her first career triple to get things started, then scored on a passed ball. A timely error from Silver Lake and a wild pitch allowed Megan Rasmussen and Bailey to cross the plate, and just like that, it was a one-run game at 6-5.

Just when the Sabercats were within reach, Silver Lake put on an extra burst of speed. SLC came back to score four runs in the bottom half of the inning before tacking on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. 

The Silver Lake defense did enough to keep the Sabercats off the board in the final two innings, taking an 11-5 win in game one of the doubleheader.

Bailey and Thome both had two hits in game one. Trisha Wright recorded her first career triple in the fourth inning.

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The weather changed quickly and drastically in game two. The temperature dropped 25 degrees during one inning, as the lakeshore mist decided to get in on the action. Game two started off with a bang but quickly turned into a defensive battle. Hannah Severin whacked a two-run homer to center in the bottom of the first inning, but the scoring came to a screeching halt until the fifth inning.

And it was then that the Sabercats did most of it.

After doubles from Kolinski and Zempel in the fourth and fifth innings, the Sabercats finally scored the runs they were looking for, and they scored three runs with two outs on the board in the sixth. Bailey hit a bases-loaded single to center to bring home Bender and Kolinski, then Rasmussen took her chance by scoring off a wild pitch on the next play. Just like that, the Sabercats had taken a one-run lead at 3-2.

Silver Lake responded immediately with a game-tying RBI double from Tasha Rabe, but Maranatha refused to go away. The game-winning run came in emphatic fashion, as Janae Jorgensen put herself in scoring position with a double down the left-field line. Up stepped Maisy Alldredge, who slammed a deep double off the left-field fence to bring home Jorgensen. 4-3 MBU in the top of the sixth.

It was only fitting that Alldredge provided the fireworks for the game-winning hit, as she was in the circle for game two, picking up her third career win and her first win of the 2018 season.

Alldredge had to execute under the gun to close the game out in the bottom of the seventh, as the Lakers almost snatched the win back. Brooklynn Jarrell and Hannah Severin both hit line drives to center, but Bender's precise fielding kept them at first and second, respectively. Two outs later, the Lakers put the pressure heavily on Alldredge and the Sabercats, as they executed a double-steal to put the winning run at second base and the game-tying run just 60 feet away.

Enter Alldredge, who earned a called first strike, then put two straight pitches high in the strike zone to get the game-winning strikeout. After a seven-inning thriller, the Sabercats had their persistence rewarded and had closed out the 2018 season with a hard-earned win.

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THE STATS

Tina Kolinski and Harmony Bailey both recorded four hits on the day.

Kolinski went 3-4 with a double and a run scored in game two.

Maisy Alldredge earned her third career win in the circle and had three strikeouts.

Kolinski, Zempel, Jorgensen, Alldredge, Bender, and Wright all recorded extra-base hits for MBU.

THE SOUND BITE

"The girls really responded well between games, and we came back in that second game and stayed focused for all seven innings," said Coach Rob Thompson after the game. "We had no lapses in the second game, and we're just really proud of the girls. It was just a great overall effort at the end, and everyone getting hits was really the spark that got us going. Our outfielders did a remarkable job hitting our relays, and it was just a great team effort. The after-game celebration was a lot of fun to watch. Just to see the girls celebrate not only the win but the camaraderie on the team and the love they have for each other. Just the entire evening was an inspiration and a lot of fun to be a part of."

A SECOND LOOK AT SILVER LAKE

• Silver Lake is an NAIA school in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
• With today's results, the Lakers finish the season with a 2-20 record.
• The Lakers now hold a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series

THE OUTLOOK

A full recap of the season will be forthcoming at mbusabercats.com.