FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Omaha softball team closed its stay at the Colorado State Classic with its second split in as many days. The Mavericks managed only five hits in a 5-1 loss to Drake, but busted out a season-high 12 hits in a 13-1 win over Valparaiso in the final game of the tournament.
The Mavericks finished 3-2 at the tournament and now own a 9-9 mark on the season.
The Mavs visit Lawrence, Kan., next weekend for the Jayhawk Invitational. Omaha will open with Idaho State on March 13 at 6 p.m. The Mavericks will play a pair of games on March 14 against Saint Louis at 4:30 p.m., followed by Kansas City at 7 p.m. Omaha wraps up tournament play on March 15 against tournament host and 25th rated Kansas.
Drake 5, Omaha 1
Drake limited Omaha to just five hits as the Bulldogs came away with a 5-1 victory. Tara Trede had two hits, while teammates Lia Mancuso, Allie Mathewson, and Kelly Pattison each had singles. Pattison plated the only run of the game for the Mavericks with a second-inning RBI base hit.
Sophomore Lizzie Noble took the loss to drop to 1-3 on the season as she allowed four earned runs on six hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Abbie Clanton allowed one run on three hits. Kat Barrow pitched six innings of scoreless relief for Omaha. Barrow allowed four hits and walked two with six strikeouts.
Omaha 13, Valparaiso 1 (5 innings)
Omaha took home a dominating victory in the final game of the Colorado State Classic on Sunday afternoon thanks in large part to an eight-run first inning. The top five hitters in the Maverick order each recorded at least one hit and scored at least one run.
In the circle, senior Carly Nielsen (1-2) got more offensive help than she needed, as the senior allowed one earned run on 11 hits with one strikeout.
Most of the damage was done in the first two innings, as Omaha would score eight in the first and four more in the second. The first five batters reached base as the Mavericks took an early 2-0 lead to start the game. Allie Mathewson set the tone in the inning as she reached base twice driving in two runs and scoring two more. Lia Mancuso reached base twice in the first and stole two bases while scoring one and driving in one.
Valparaiso got one run back in the bottom of the inning as they strung together back-to-back hits and took advantage of an Omaha error to score their lone run of the game.
The Mavericks got right back to work in the second, as they loaded the bases with one out. Tara Trede hit an RBI single to drive in a run followed by a Mathewson RBI ground out. Mancuso singled to left to dive in two more and make the score 12-1 after two innings.
Omaha tacked on one more run in the top of the third inning as a Bailey Schulenberg sacrifice fly allowed Campbell Ditto to cross the plate.
Valparaiso would put runners in scoring position in each of the final two innings, but crafty pitching from Nielsen and solid defense behind her kept the Crusaders off the board.
For the game, Mancuso and Mathewson each had two hits and three RBI to lead the Mavericks. Ditto added a pair of singles and scored two runs. Kelly Pattison was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI.
For the tournament, Mancuso led the way for Omaha with a .438 batting average with eight runs scored, three RBI, and four stolen bases. Mathewson added five runs scored and three RBI.
