Rucks & Van Blaricom Lead Hitting Heroics for Lady Argo Softball
TUCSON, Ariz. – UGF woke up the bats for their fourth day of games in Arizona, scoring a total of 17 runs in two games. Unfortunately, they also woke up their opponents’ bats and battled to a 10-9 loss to Concordia University (Neb.) and an 8-7 win over the University of Jamestown (N.D.).
From the first at-bat of the day, the Lady Argos were seeing the ball well and finding open spots to hit it into. Senior third baseman Chloe Cross led UGF off with a single and after the next to patters popped and flied out, Cross’s team began to work her around the bases. The next five Lady Argos reached base safely three of those five found their way back home.
Second baseman Regan Rucks hit an RBI double as part of that run. She finished the game with two doubles, a single, four RBIs, and two runs. Her efforts, and a five run top of the sixth inning, weren’t enough, however, as the bulldogs answered back with a four run effort in the bottom of the inning to win 10-9.
While the team’s highest scoring output of the season didn’t bring a win against Concordia, a similar effort against Jamestown proved to be just enough.
Rucks scored another run against UJ, but it was junior Keeley Van Blaricom that made the Lady Argo offense click in the game’s second day. Van Blaricom, who pitched all seven innings of the game, supported her own pitching effort with two hits, two RBIs, and three runs.
Her biggest at-bat came in a three run top of the third that changed score from a 4-3 Jamestown lead to a 6-4 UGF advantage. In that inning Van Blaricom hit a two run homer that brought herself and senior Mindy Larson around the diamond. On the mound, the junior let up six earned runs but also struck out six batters and walked none.
UGF split their two games for the second consecutive day, bringing their season record to 6-3. They will play one more game before the fly back to Great Falls, Mont., for the the start of conference play, a Wednesday, March 8 contest against Olivet Nazarene University at 7 p.m. MST.