Ludwick Homers Twice in Split with Holy Cross

HAMILTON » Colgate Softball’s Taylor Ludwick blasted a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to cap a 9-0 victory and doubleheader split with Holy Cross on Saturday at Eaton Street Field. The Raiders dropped the opening decision 2-0 in eight innings.

With the split, Colgate moves to 3-5 overall and 1-1 in Patriot League play. Holy Cross is now 2-4 and 1-1.

Ludwick was a force at the plate, going 5-for-7 on the day with two homers, five RBIS, and two runs scored. Bella Crow struck out five in a six-inning shutout in Game 2 for her second win of the season.

Game 1: Holy Cross 2, Colgate 0 (8 inn.)

The Patriot League opener was an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel between Bailey Misken and Kelly Nelson. The two hard-throwing hurlers combined for 23 strikeouts in seven scoreless innings.

Misken surrendered her first hit in the fourth inning and proceeded to retire eight of the next nine batters through the sixth inning. Her counterpart Nelson was just as dominant, striking out eight of the first 11 batters she faced on her way to 15 Ks for the game.

Colgate had a golden opportunity to put the game away in the bottom of the seventh. Adrienne Nardone led off with a pinch-hit double and Ludwick followed with an infield single.

Ludwick stole second and the Raiders were in business with runners on second and third, but an infield popout, strikeout and groundout stranded both runners in scoring position.

Holy Cross responded with a two-run homer in the eighth and held on for the 2-0 victory in Game 1.

Game 2: Colgate 9, Holy Cross 0 (6 Inn.)

Colgate’s bats came alive in the nightcap to the tune of 12 hits, including three doubles and three home runs. That was plenty of support for Crow, who scattered five hits and struck out five over six scoreless frames.

The Raiders jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Virginia Irby led off with a walk and scored on an RBI double by Morgan Farrah. Ludwick doubled Colgate’s lead in the fourth with a solo shot down the left field line.

Mia Guevarra drilled a two-run homer to straightaway center in the fifth and yanked an RBI double down the left field line one inning later to extend the lead to 5-0 in the sixth.

Guevarra’s sixth-inning double was in the middle of four straight batters to reach base safely with two outs in the sixth.

Nardone worked a walk to load the bases and Ludwick took care of the rest. The sophomore slugger brought everybody home with a walk-off grand slam to left to give the Raiders the run-rule 9-0 victory.