Pride battle in doubleheader losses to Benedictine

DUBUQUE, Iowa - On a day where the class of 2022 seniors were honored, the Clarke University softball team wasn't able to pull out any victories against Benedictine College despite some strong finishes on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Park.

The Pride fell by final scores of 3-1 in game one and then 11-6 in game two as both games saw CU score runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in both contests.

Benedictine was able to produce three runs in the first inning of both games as well against Malarie Huseman and Kila Carbine respectively as those three runs held for the Ravens throughout the first game and a pair of four-run innings in the sixth and seventh innings extended their lead in the finale.

In that second game, Clarke cut the BC lead to 3-2 in the bottom of the second inning behind RBIs from Samantha Stout and Daija Bates before three-straight doubles plated runs for Benedictine in the sixth and a pair of home runs put the Ravens up 11-2.

That cushion allowed for a CU four-run inning not to rattle the Ravens too much as Leah Gray launched a three-run home run out to left field prior to an Abby Archer RBI double to make the game 11-6 at the time.

Archer had a strong game two on the day going 4-for-4 with that RBI and a run scored as Lindsey Herrmann and Stout also had two hits in the game following an opener where Elizabeth Leverton, Lily King, and Bates had two hits as well.

Clarke softball will enter their next week with a three-day road trip to Grand View, Missouri Valley, and Central Methodist that will start this Wednesday in Des Moines with a doubleheader against the Vikings.