Late inning luck favors Wildcats as Pride fall in both ends of doubleheader with Baker

DUBUQUE, Iowa - In just their second set of home games of the 2022 season, the Clarke Univeristy softball team were unable to pull out a victory at Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday afteroon in 3-1 and 14-1 loses to Baker University.

Despite the 13-run margin in the day's finale, the game was closer than the final score would indicate with the Pride leading 1-0 or the game tied at 1-1 through the fifth inning.

In the top of the sixth, with two outs and runners on first and second, Clarke's Kila Carbine got a borderline check swing out of Emma Ancira for a potential strikeout but the ruling was no swing as the at bat would continue for Ancira to walk to load the bases.

Things would spiral from there as there would be a wild pitch and throwing error to the next batter then a fielding error later in the inning to allow three runs to score and Baker to take a 4-1 lead into the seventh inning where the Wildcats would put up a 10-spot to extend that lead to the eventual final of 14-1.

In the day's opener, Clarke would bring the go-ahead run to the plate in both the sixth and seventh innings trailing 3-1 by that time but could not get a clutch hit with Abby Archer smashing a ball to right field with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh but it was right at the right fielder for the final out of the game.

With the offense only plating two runs on the day, there was still a big swing of the bat as Daija Bates cracked her first home run of the season out to left field to give CU a 1-0 lead in the second game of the day. Bates (2), Samantha Stout (3), Malarie Huseman (3), and Lily King (2) all produced mutli-hit days over the two games.

Clarke softball will be right back at Veterans Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon when they host Benedictine College for a 1:00 p.m. CT scheduled first pitch.