SOFTBALL DROPS TWO IN SEASON OPENER
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Anna Maria | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 2 |
|
Baruch | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | X | 8 | 12 | 2 |
Game 1
MELBOURNE, FLA. – The Anna Maria College softball team traveled to Florida to open its 2026 season, beginning the year against the Lions of Albright College. The AMCATS dropped the opener, 5-4, in eight innings.
Anna Maria struck first, plating two runs in the opening inning. Angela Marie Gilmartin lifted a sacrifice fly to score Paige Stewart and advance Meghan Doyle to third. Doyle later came home on a passed ball to give the AMCATS a 2-0 lead.
The second inning remained scoreless as Anna Maria's defense held strong, keeping the Lions off the board. The AMCATS doubled their lead in the third. Stewart led off with a walk before Doyle drove a ball past the center fielder for a stand-up triple, bringing Stewart home. Madisyn Crossman followed with a hard ground ball to third that resulted in a fielder's choice, allowing Doyle to score and extend the lead to 4-0.
The game turned into a defensive battle until the top of the seventh inning when Albright rallied for four runs to tie the game. The Lions then pushed across the go-ahead run in the eighth to secure the 5-4 victory.
Game 2
The AMCATS returned to the field later in the day to face the Bearcats of Baruch College, falling 8-6.
Baruch opened the scoring with two runs in the first inning to take an early 2-0 lead. Anna Maria responded in the bottom half. Madisyn Crossman worked a walk and advanced on a single to center field by Mae McGowan, who moved to second on an error. Emma Brewer drew a walk to load the bases for Ella Moon, who tripled to center field to give the AMCATS a 3-2 lead. Moon later stole home to extend the advantage to 4-2.
Anna Maria added another run when Brewer lifted a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Crossman and making it 5-2. The Bearcats answered with a run in the third to cut the deficit to 5-3.
The AMCATS scored their final run in the fourth inning as Moon crossed the plate on an error. Baruch responded with five runs across the fifth and sixth innings to take the lead and ultimately secure the 8-6 win.
