Lady Cougars Push Past USF in Crossroads League Tournament

UPLAND, Ind. — The Mount Vernon Nazarene University softball team (28-19, 19-17 CL) competed in the first round of the second day of the Crossroads League Tournament against the University of Saint Francis (27-20, 20-16 CL), hosted by Taylor University on Wednesday, April 30.  

MVNU opened the game strong, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning. Skylar Zimmerman singled and advanced to second after a walk by Dakota Staffan. With one out, Avery Miller stepped to the plate in the cleanup spot and launched a deep shot to left field for her ninth home run of the season, giving MVNU an early 3-0 lead. 

Saint Francis quickly responded, scoring a run in the bottom of the first and another in the second to cut the lead to 3-2. 

In the top of the fourth, Kiera Mayer singled to right field, allowing Mollie Pentz to move to third. Jesenia Montalvo followed with a triple to right-center, driving in two runs and extending MVNU's lead to 5-2. USF answered with two runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning, narrowing the gap to 5-4. 

Kylie Rohr led off the top of the fifth with a single to second base and advanced on a single to right-center by Miller, helping MVNU tack on an insurance run to make it 6-4. The Lady Cougars added another run in the sixth when Rohr singled again, this time bringing Mayer home to finalize the score at 7-4. 

Maddy Wine started in the circle for MVNU, recording four strikeouts. Nadia Hoffman came in for relief, pitching three innings and striking out four more to secure the win. 

What's Next: 

The Lady Cougars will be facing the top-seeded Marian University Knights this afternoon, Wednesday, April 30 at Taylor University. The first pitch will be at 3:00 p.m.  

Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students, and working adults. With a 327-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth, and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education both in-seat and online to nearly 2,100 students from 33 states and 26 foreign countries.