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Grace Connelly and Sidnee Puffpaff pose for a portait
Pictured, Grace Connelly and Sidnee Puffpaff
0
Gordon GC 3-6
9
Winner Hope HOPE 2-2
Gordon GC
3-6
0
Final
9
Hope HOPE
2-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Gordon GC 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3
Hope HOPE 2 4 0 1 2 9 10 0

W: Connelly, Grace (1-0) L: K. Melendy (0-5)

0
Hope HOPE 3-3
2
Winner Rowan ROW 10-0
Hope HOPE
3-3
0
Final
2
Rowan ROW
10-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Hope HOPE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Rowan ROW 0 1 0 0 0 1 X 2 6 0

W: Rylee Lutz (5-0) L: Kerschbaum, Gianna (1-2)

Game Recap: Softball | | Mackenzie McMahon

Softball Opens Florida Trip with Shutout Win Before Being Edged by No. 4 Rowan

The Hope College softball team opened its 12-game stretch in Florida with a dominant 9-0, five-inning victory over Gordon College (Massachusetts) before battling hard but falling 2-0 to fourth-ranked and unbeaten Rowan University on Friday in Clermont, Florida.

The Flying Dutch (3-3) showcased both offensive firepower and defensive resilience in a promising start to their spring break slate of games in the Sunshine State.

Against Gordon, Hope wasted no time imposing its will, plating two runs in the opening frame and adding four more in the second.

Senior pitcher Grace Connelly (Grandville, Michigan / Grandville HS) tossed a five-inning complete game while allowing just two hits and striking out six against Gordon (3-7).

The Flying Dutch racked up 10 hits, led by standout performances from a pair of freshmen: Jalen Fossitt (Onondaga, Michigan / Leslie), who tripled and doubled while driving in a run, and Sidnee Puffpaff (Macomb, Michigan / Dakota), who capped the scoring with a two-run triple in the fifth.

Against Rowan, Hope held its own in a tightly contested pitching duel. Junior Gianna Kerschbaum (Baroda, Michigan / Stevensville-Lakeshore) put together an impressive six-inning performance, allowing just two runs on six hits.

Rowan (10-0) struck first in the bottom of the second inning after back-to-back hits were capped by a Zara MacNair RBI single.

Hope had its best scoring opportunity in the sixth when freshman Mia Vanderheide (Caledonia, Michigan / Jenison International) and freshman Abby Whorton (Watervliet, Michigan / Watervliet) recorded back-to-back, one-out singles, but Rowan starting pitcher Rylee Lutz left them stranded.

Rowan added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double from Breanna Bryant.

Five Flying Dutch each had a single hit in the loss: freshman Mikayla Derks (Saint John, Indiana / Iliana Christian), Whorton, Vanderheide, Puffpaff and Kerschbaum. 

Hope continues its Florida schedule on Saturday, March 15, with games against Ramapo College (New Jersey) at 1:45 p.m. and against Plymouth State University (New Hampshire) at 4 p.m., both in Clermont.

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