Mustangs Stumble in Doubleheader Despite Game One Fight

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mount Mercy (7-15, 2-2) faced a tough doubleheader against St. Ambrose (IA) (10-10, 0-0) on Thursday, suffering a narrow defeat in game one with a final score of 6–5, followed by a 6–2 loss in game two. In the first game, the Mustangs showcased a strong offensive effort with 10 hits, including four doubles, but fell just short in extra innings.

GAME ONE

Game one began with St. Ambrose taking an early lead in the first inning when Anna Engberg scored on a throwing error, pushing the Fighting Bees ahead 1–0. Mount Mercy responded in the second inning with a rally initiated by Lilly Wuethrich's double and Raegan Ware's single, which brought Wuethrich home.

Ashley Smith demonstrated her speed with two stolen bases, scoring on a double from Jade Hynek. Kennedy Daugherty's sacrifice fly then brought Hynek across the plate, giving Mount Mercy a 3–1 lead by the end of the second inning.

St. Ambrose chipped away at the lead in the third with an RBI single from Engberg, narrowing the score to 3–2. The Fighting Bees surged ahead in the fifth with a two-run homer from Becca Haag, but Mount Mercy quickly leveled the score at 4–4 when Daugherty scored off an Abbey Smith single.

Mount Mercy reclaimed the lead in the sixth with Hynek crossing the plate thanks to Megan Harrison's single, making it 5–4. However, St. Ambrose tied it in the seventh with Shai Erdrich scoring on a sacrifice bunt. In the decisive eighth inning, Ellie Downing's sacrifice bunt for St. Ambrose brought home the winning run, sealing a 6-5 victory.

Abbey Smith stood out with two hits and an RBI, while Hynek excelled with two doubles and two runs scored. Ashley Smith's performance included two stolen bases and a run. Ashley Webb pitched a complete game for the Mustangs, throwing 120 pitches, striking out three, and facing 34 batters while taking the loss.

For St. Ambrose, Erdrich recorded two hits and two runs with three stolen bases, while Engberg led with three hits, two runs, and an RBI, boasting an OPS of 2.000. Haag's impactful home run contributed to her three RBIs and an OPS of 2.333. Leah Maro pitched a full game for St. Ambrose, allowing 10 hits and five earned runs over eight innings.

GAME TWO

In game two, the Mustangs struggled against St. Ambrose's strong offensive display, with the Fighting Bees collecting 11 hits. The action kicked off with Alena Holder tripling to right field in the first inning, bringing Becca Haag home, and Shea Meech following up with a single to score Holder, giving St. Ambrose a 2–0 lead. Mount Mercy narrowed the gap in the second inning when Kennedy Daugherty homered to left field, making it 2–1.

However, St. Ambrose extended their lead in the third inning, with Engberg scoring on a shortstop error and Haag crossing home plate thanks to another hit from Meech, resulting in a 4–1 score by the end of the third. The Fighting Bees further solidified their lead in the fifth inning with Maddi Larsen and Holder scoring to push it to 6–1.

Mount Mercy added a run in the sixth inning when Fionna McLeod scored on an infield single by Ashley Smith, closing the gap to 6–2, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.

Daugherty continued to shine offensively, contributing a home run and two hits, driving in one run. Megan Harrison reached base twice, while Ashley Smith added an RBI off the bench. Addie Gralund pitched five innings for the Mustangs, allowing 11 hits and six runs, while Maggie McNally delivered two scoreless relief innings, striking out one.

For the Fighting Bees, Shea Meech led with three hits and two RBIs, while Alena Holder added two runs and two hits, including a triple. Bianca Shorter pitched a complete game for St. Ambrose, allowing two earned runs and striking out two over seven innings.

The Mustangs now look to rebound as they head to Parkville, Missouri, to face Park on Saturday, March 21, with the doubleheader scheduled to start at 1 p.m.