Softball Falls Twice at Space Coast Spring Games

MELBOURNE, Fla. – The MCLA Softball team kicked off its 2026 season this afternoon with a pair of games at the Space Coast Spring Games with matchups against the St. Catherine University Wildcats and the Lakeland University Muskies.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Saturday, March 14, 2026
• Game #1: MCLA 1, St. Catherine 7
• • Records: St. Catherine University Wildcats 10-5 (MIAC 0-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 0-1 (MASCAC 0-0)

• • Series History: This was the first-ever meeting of the teams.

• Game #2: Lakeland 2, MCLA 0
• • Records: Lakeland University Muskies 8-3 (NACC 0-0) | MCLA Trailblazers 0-2 (MASCAC 0-0)

• • Series History: This was the first-ever meeting of the teams.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Game #1
  • The Wildcats sandwich multi-run frames in their first turn at the plate and their last turn at the plate around a single run by MCLA in the fourth inning.
  • St. Catherine plated four unearned runs in the first inning behind four hits and a pair of Trailblazer errors. Two runs scored when Sam Aronson reached on an error, and the other runs came on RBI singles from Chance Court and Kylee Kohunt.
  • MCLA provided the filling for the sandwich with a two-out rally in the fourth inning. Hannah Gilbert (Colrain, MA) started the rally with a double into center field before moving to third when Nevaeh Lopez (Pittsfield, MA) reached on an error. Maggie Closinski (Rome, NY) then singled to left to score the run.
  • The sixth inning saw the Wildcats add three insurance runs on a pair of RBI doubles to left field. Annie Cook plated two before pinch-hitter Annika Reid closed out the rally.
• Game #2
  • The Trailblazers second tilt of the afternoon was a pitcher's duel between MCLA's Gilbert and a pair of Muskie pitchers. Addison Dierschow pitched four scoreless innings, scattering four hits to before making way for Lily Pettit, who struck out two in three scoreless innings to pick up her first save of the year. The win improved Dierschow to 2-1.
  • Gilbert went the distance for the Trailblazers, allowing two runs, one earned, while striking out five. The first-year local product suffered the loss to fall to 0-1.

UP NEXT:

On Sunday, MCLA will be back in action when it continues its run in the Space Coast Spring Games with a pair of games against the Rutgers University - Newark at 12:15 p.m. and the UMass-Boston Beacons at 2:30 p.m. at the USSSA Space Coast Complex.

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