Seneca softball scores three in the 7th in TCC win over Marquette

OTTAWA – There are times during the season that after a game, even though one team has finished with a victory and the other a loss, that both coaches aren’t overly pleased.

That was the case after the Seneca softball team walked away with a 4-3 Tri-County Conference win in come-from-behind fashion over Marquette Academy at June Gross Field on a rainy Tuesday afternoon.

The Fighting Irish allowed the Crusaders three runs in the opening inning and had just three baserunners in the first five frames. But the visitors pushed a run across in the sixth and then scored three times in the seventh to improve to 17-3 overall and stay unbeaten (9-0) in league play. Marquette fell to 8-3 and 3-1.

“If we want to make a solid run in the postseason we are going to have to learn to compete a little bit better than we did today. We lacked confidence today, and like I tell them, confidence comes from within yourself.

—  Seneca coach Brian Holman

“To be honest, my message after the game wasn’t too kind,” said Seneca coach Brian Holman. “If we want to make a solid run in the postseason, we are going to have to learn to compete a little bit better than we did today. We lacked confidence today and like I tell them, confidence comes from within yourself. We expect to compete with the best teams in 1A and 2A, and Marquette is one of them. They have a great left-handed pitcher that throws hard, and she just ate us up alive for five innings. That being said, we didn’t do a good job of putting the ball in play as well as I thought we should have.”

Both starting pitchers went the distance in the contest, as Seneca winner Maggie Carpenter allowed five hits, three earned runs, walked four and struck out nine. Her Marquette counterpart Kaylee Killelea gave up seven hits, two earned runs, walked five and fanned 15 in taking the tough-luck loss.

“We lost to Newark in the seventh inning a couple of weeks ago and they are ranked (No. 7) in (Class) 1A, and Seneca is ranked (No. 8) in 2A and I felt we had them here today,” said Maquette coach Brad Oakes. “We can’t ask for any more out of Kaylee. She is one of the best pitchers in the area, and she’s on base all the time hitting. She had a ton of strikeouts against Newark ... and today against Seneca. There isn’t much more you ask from your pitcher than the effort she gave us today.”

Marquette grabbed the early lead in the first, as Killelea started things with a one-out a single to right. Eva McCallum walked and Maisie Lyons followed with a bunt single to load the bases. Addie McConnaughhay smacked a single to center which scored Killelea and McCallum to make it 2-0, with Lyons going to third. Paige Cottingim then placed a bunt down, and on the throw to first base, Lyons raced home to make it 3-0.

Seneca broke the ice in the sixth, as Mallory Othon poked a two-out single and scored all the way from first on a base hit down the right-field line by Madi Mino. In the seventh, Allison Arwood drew a leadoff walk and Carpenter singled. Then after an out, Sam Vandevelde singled to center, with Arwood beating the throw home, then a throw to get Vandevelde advancing to second sailed into center, allowing Carpenter to score the tying run, with Vandevelde moving to third. Zoe Hougas then put down a perfect squeeze bunt that scored Vandevelde with the go-ahead run.

“When stuff got tight there in the seventh, we started throwing the ball around,” said Oakes. “It’s stuff that just can’t happen. We have some girls that know what’s going on in certain situations and others that don’t. Not knowing hurt us in that last inning.”

In the bottom of the frame, Carpenter retired the first two batters, then allowed a second single to Killelea, but struck out the final batter to close things out.

“I’ve previously coached with a lot of good coaches in my time at Newark and Hall. I’ve learned that as a coach you can only do so much, and then it comes down to having good, strong girls competing at the right time,” said Holman. “Fortunately for us today, we have one of the best in the circle and a heck of a catcher [Hougas] too. We gave up three in the first, but from there those two absolutely kept us in it.”

The two teams are scheduled to play again on Thursday in Seneca at 4:30 p.m.