by Alan Babbitt

Freshman pitcher Alaina Adams combined with two relievers to hurl the fifth shutout of the season for the Hope College softball team on Friday.

The 23rd-ranked Flying Dutch defeated Saint Mary's College, 6-0, in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Wolters Stadium. Hope dropped the second game, 6-0.

Neither game counts toward the MIAA standings. Hope is now 16-6 on the season.

In Game 1, Adams, pictured, tossed four scoreless innings. The right-hander from Oak Creek, Wisconsin (St. Thomas More HS) struck out three, walked three batters, and allowed seven of Saint Mary's 10 hits.

Relievers Megan Soderbloom (Dowagiac, Michigan/Dowagiac) and Avery Slancik (Scotts, Michigan/Vicksburg) then quieted the Belles with one and two innings of scoreless relief, respectively.

Hope jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.

Soderbloom's two-run single knocked in leadoff batter and second baseman Arinn King of Hudsonville, Michigan (Hudsonville) and left fielder Jo Cook of Birch Run, Michigan (Birch Run).

Cook lined a two-run single to center field in the second. Shortstop Savannah Dixon (Niles, Michigan/Edwardsburg) added a bases-loaded walk during a three-run third

In the sixth, right fielder Cayley Ebeling of Shelby Township, Michigan (Utica) stroked an RBI double.

In Game 2, Hope collected just two singles against Saint Mary's: first baseman Kaelin Callow (Plainfield, Illinois/Plainfield) and catcher Morgann Kanouse (Cadillac, Michigan/Cadillac). The Belles, who are 9-9 overall, had 10 hits.

Callow leads the Flying Dutch with a .467 batting average and ranks first among MIAA hitters.

Hope's next games are on Saturday, April 17 against Kalamazoo College and Albion College at Kalamazoo College.