CHICAGO – Saturday afternoon's games came right down to the wire in both instances, as the University of Chicago softball team lost game one in extra innings and won game two with a walk-off hit against North Central College.

The Maroons moved to 16-5 and the Cardinals ran their record to 14-10.

Game One – North Central 9, UChicago 5

Facing a five-run deficit, UChicago rallied all the way back to tie in the sixth inning. But in extra frames, North Central hit a grand slam to pull out the win in eight innings.

The visiting Cardinals worked full counts all throughout game one. Marathon at-bats took place as North Central fouled off dozens of pitches. That patience paid off big in the top of the sixth. Already with a 1-0 lead, the Cardinals scored four more times with two outs. Three-straight singles brought runners around the base paths and left the Maroons staring at a 5-0 deficit.

The rough early going for UChicago featured a number of quick plate appearances with early swings in the count. North Central played stellar defense and snuffed out multiple would-be hits with diving catches and quick hands on line drives.

It was the bottom of the sixth when the Maroons put the pieces together in the batter's box. Outfielders Serena Moss and Devan Parkison led off with infield singles, and with two outs, junior third base Maggie O'Hara loaded the bases with a single deep in the hole at shortstop. A chopper to the shortstop looked like it would end the inning, but the fielder threw the ball away trying to get a force at second base. With one run already across, freshman outfielder Maeve Garvey strode to the plate. On a 1-0 count, Garvey jacked a no-doubt grand slam home run far past the left field fence to tie the game at 5-5.

UChicago was poised to win the game in the bottom of the seventh. Senior pitcher Jordan Poole doubled to right field to start the frame and Moss singled up the middle. With runners on second and third with no outs, North Central's Andrea Starr bore down in the pitching circle and induced a pair of flyouts. The second fly ball to shallow center ended up as a double play when the center fielder gunned down the advancing runner at home plate to force extra innings.

The visitors struck the big blow in the top of the eighth. With the bases loaded and two outs, a grand slam to left field gave North Central its winning margin, 9-5.

UChicago finished with nine hits, including two each by Moss and freshman designated player Carly Schulz. Poole (3-3 record) took the loss in eight innings with nine runs, 10 hits, nine walks and eight strikeouts to her credit.

Game Two – UChicago 2, North Central 1

Both pitchers blazed through game two with neither offense able to find its groove. Sophomore Molly Moran took the ball for the second game and made quick work of the North Central hitters. She never faced more than four batters in an inning until the top of the seventh. During one stretch, she whiffed six out of seven batters during the middle innings.

North Central made a late move once again in the seventh. A leadoff double set the stage, while an error and an infield single filled the bases. A passed ball scored the runner from third, but Moran struck out the next two hitters looking to keep the Maroons within one.

Down to their final at-bats, UChicago came up clutch. Freshman shortstop Colleen Bennett roped a double to the left center fence to begin the seventh, and Moss tied the game with a RBI double to deep center. Parkison then delivered the game-winner with a walk-off single up the middle to end it at 2-1.

Moran improved to 5-2 with her seven-inning complete game. The sophomore struck out a career-high 10 batters. She also allowed one unearned run, four hits and two walks.

UChicago totaled eight hits and one error in the contest. Parkison went 2-for-4 with one RBI and Bennett hit 2-for-3.

NEXT GAMES:

• Tuesday, April 19 – Aurora University at UChicago (DH), 3 PM