RUSSELL – The TMP-Marian Monarchs softball team cruised to a pair of wins Friday night 12-0 and 15-1 in their season opening doubleheader at Russell.
GAME 1: TMP 12, Russell 0
In the first game the Monarchs scored in all five innings and held Russell to just one hit in a 12-0 victory in five innings.
TMP jumped out to an early lead, taking advantage of an error and two walks to load the bases for Bria Windholz who drove in the game’s first run on a sacrifice fly.
Molly Helget added an RBI single in the second putting TMP up 2-0 through two innings.
The Monarchs offense really came to life scoring three runs in the third and five more in the fourth.
Brynn Rebel led off the three-run third with a double and Brooke Koenigsman tripled home the run, making it 3-0 TMP.
Koenigsman finished with a game-high five RBI’s for TMP.
Bridget Feldt added an RBI with a sacrifice fly and then Teagan Gottschalk singled home a run putting TMP up 5-0 through three innings.
In the bottom of the fourth the Monarchs again loaded the bases thanks to a hit by pitch, a walk and an error in front of Koenigsman who drove in two with an RBI single making it 7-0 TMP.
With two outs, TMP got back-to-back RBI singles from Feldt and Gottschalk for a 10-0 TMP lead.
In the final frame, Halle Dreiling led off the fifth with a triple and then Koenigsman drove her home with her second triple of the game, driving in two more, putting TMP up 12-0.
TMP’s Bria Windholz went the distance in the circle. She struck out eight and allowed just one hit with one walk in five shutout innings.
Koenigsman finished three-for-three with five RBI’s. Feldt and Koenigsman both collected a pair of hits.
GAME 2: TMP 15, Russell 1
The Monarchs scored all 15 of their runs in three innings and held Russell to one run in a 15-1 victory in five innings.
TMP scored four runs in each of the first two innings.
Three straight singles loaded the bases in the top of the first inning for Brynn Rebel who singled in the game’s first run. Brooke Koenigsman followed with an RBI single of her own to put TMP up 2-0.
Two hitters later Tegan Gottschalk singled home a run and then an error by Russell allowed the fourth run of the inning to score for TMP.
Up 4-1 through one inning, the Monarchs plated four more in the second.
Koenigsman singled with the bases loaded making it 6-1.
Koenigsman drove in six runs in the TMP victory.
The Monarchs then added runs on an RBI groundout from Nicole Schumacher and a passed ball for an 8-1 lead.
Following a scoreless third inning, the TMP bats blew the game open for good, scoring seven runs in the fourth inning.
Schumacher singled in the first run of the inning. Dreiling added a sacrifice fly making it 10-1 TMP. Hannah Rose walked with the bases loaded for an 11-1 TMP lead.
Two batters later Koenigsman doubled home three runs and then scored on an error to put TMP up 15-1.
Brynn Rebel earned the win for TMP. She allowed one run on one hit with 11 strikeouts and six walks.
All but one Monarch in the lineup collected a hit and Koenigsman was three-for-four with six RBI’s. Gottschalk was two-for-four with two RBI’s.
The 2-0 Monarchs will travel to Colby on April 2nd for a doubleheader.