Mastodons Force Seventh Game, Fall in Finale

Saturday, May 12

Kansas City, Mo.

2 p.m.

Purdue Fort Wayne

36-20

North Dakota State

45-13

North Dakota State

IPFW

5/12/2012 7:06:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

GAME ONE BOX SCORE | GAME TWO BOX SCORE

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The IPFW Mastodons forced a deciding game seven to the 2012 Summit League Championships with a 5-0 win over the North Dakota State Bison, before falling to NDSU in the Championship Finale by an 8-0 score in six innings.

IPFW ends its season with a school-record 45-14 record. For their efforts in the tournament, pitcher Miranda Kramer, third baseman Ashleigh Bousquet, and outfielders Brittany Kachur and Larissa Franklin were named to the All-Tournament squad.

In the opener, the 'Dons jumped out first when Mackenzie Ritsema singled through the right side, before being advanced to second on an Audrey Mintari single up the middle. After a strikeout, Larissa Franklin hit a looping single to left field, scoring Ritsema, and giving IPFW a 1-0 advantage through two innings.

The teams traded scoreless third and fourth innings, before IPFW ran off four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, the first run coming when Alex Bousquet dove over the top of NDSU catcher Jenina Ortega, and in the ensuing shuffle of Ortega trying to track Alex Bousquet down in case she missed the plate, Ashleigh Bousquet came around and scored on the play, giving IPFW a 3-0 lead.

Dani Pugh followed with a sharp single to left field, scoring Cronin, before Reitsema scored her second run of the game on a throwing error by the NDSU second baseman, giving IPFW a 5-0 advantage.

The Bison, who didn't get on any more than two batters in an inning through the first six frames, loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh, but forced a fly-out from leadoff hitter Taylor Mortensen to secure the win, and force a deciding game seven in the Summit League Championships.

Ashleigh Bousquet was 2-for-3 in the opener with a run scored, while Franklin was 2-for-4. Ritsema scored twice. Miranda Kramer picked up the win, improving to 16-4 on the year, picking up the shutout while striking out five and scattering three hits.

The Bison jumped ahead quickly in the nightcap, using back-to-back hits, aided by a wild pitch, to score their first run. The 'Dons left a runner stranded in five of the six innings of the game, but could not bring any around to score in the contest.

NDSU scored twice in the top of the second, and five times in the top of the sixth to pick up the 8-0, six-inning victory.

Franklin and Kayti Hanson had the team's two hits in the game, while Franklin, Alex Bousquet, Alex Bousquet, and Cronin each drew a walk. Kramer picked up the loss, pitching the first inning and a third, giving up four hits and three runs. Cronin and Flenniken each pitched in relief, Cronin going three and two-thirds of an inning, and Flenniken one inning, the pair combining to strike out two batters and give up five runs, four of them earned.

~ Feel the Rumble ~