[Softball] St. Ambrose drops two at CCAC Tournament

The season came to a quick unexpected end as the Bees dropped their first two games at the CCAC Softball Tournament in Crown Point, Ind., Saturday.

Fourth-seeded St. Ambrose (30-18) dropped its first game 7-3 to Indiana South Bend before getting eliminated with a 3-2 loss to Trinity International.

The Bees found their backs against the wall after losing their opener to the Titans.

Defensive struggles were the difference as seven St. Ambrose errors led to six unearned runs. Two of those errors came as part of a five-run sixth inning.

Olivia McClintock and Christina Pembrook each finished with two hits. Morgan Krieger had the lone RBI, that coming in a two-run first inning. Indiana South Bend tied the game in the third before taking the lead in the sixth. McClintock scored on a wild pitch in the seventh for the final run.

Pembrook was the hard-luck loser after allowing just two hits and a pair of unearned runs over 4 2/3 innings.

Then Saturday night, the season came to a close with the 3-2 loss to Trinity International, a team SAU swept during the regular season by scores of 8-4 and 7-0.

The Bees finished with just four hits in their finale, only one of those coming over the first four innings. Three hits came off the bat of Madelyn Thompson.

Trailing 1-0, St. Ambrose got on the board without the benefit of a hit in the third. MaKenna Butcher led off the inning with a walk and pinch runner Tara Lance advanced to second when McClintock reached on an error. Pembrook drew a walk to load the bases and Thompson was credited with an RBI when she reached on an error to score the tying run.

The Bees left the bases loaded in the third and left one on in the fifth and two more on in the sixth. Trinity International regained the lead with a run in the top of the sixth and added another run in the seventh.

After the first two hitters were retired, the Bees rallied in their final at bat. Thompson singled and Krieger reached on an error. Colleen Barrett had an RBI single to cut the deficit to 3-2. But with the potential tying run on second and the winning run on first, Libby Munsterman's ground ball up the middle was gloved by the second baseman, who beat Barrett to the bag to end the game.

Jane Thomas took the loss in relief of Pembrook.