The Maroons crushed North Park in both games of Monday’s doubleheader to put an end to their three-game losing streak. The South Siders won the first game 10–3, while the eight-run mercy rule brought an early end to the second game in the fifth inning at a score of 11–3.
In both games, Chicago’s offense dominated. Second-year Anna Woolery led the charge, going six for nine at the plate on the day, driving in a total of four runs. First-year Alyssa Stolmack and third-year Kathleen Kohm combined to generate eight RBI and three homers.
Four of those RBI came from Kohm’s grand slam in the top of the third inning during the second game. If the Maroons’ bats were hot during the first game, they were on fire during the second. Kohm’s homer capped an inning in which the South Siders scored eight runs and forced two North Park pitching changes.
On the success of the Maroon offense, first-year Sara Koniewicz said, “We saw three very different pitchers, both in style and speed, and quickly made good adjustments at the plate. Being able to make those changes quickly let us keep the pressure on, even after their pitching changes.”
Chicago’s pitching found no such difficulty. Third-year Jordan Poole gave up only five hits during her time on the mound in the first game. First-year Molly Moran also put on an impressive display in the second game, allowing only eight hits.
Kohm said, “We had some interesting calls from the umpires on Monday, but the composure of our pitchers really calmed the whole team down. When we relaxed, the hitting became infectious and thankfully the effort of our whole team paid off.”
Monday’s pair of victories improved the Maroons’ record to 14–16 on the season, as they now look hungrily at their three remaining doubleheaders. The team aims to win out and finish with a record of 20–16.
The next challenge will be against Wheaton on Thursday. The Thunder have a record of 19–12 and are on a roll, having won their last five games. However, the South Siders are feeling confident after their resounding victories over North Park. The Maroons will also be playing at home, where they have a significantly better record.
On the keys to the upcoming game, Woolery said, “We have strong hitters up and down the lineup. To be successful in our upcoming game we need to lay off the drop and sit on the change. If we can handle these two pitches, which are the go-tos of the pitcher we’re facing, our pitchers and defense will take care of the rest.”
The Maroons were scheduled for a doubleheader on Sunday against Carthage but due to a scheduling conflict, those games have been postponed to an undetermined date.
