GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Parkside softball team split its road doubleheader against Davenport on Sunday at Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex, taking game one 4-3 before being walked off 6-5 in game two. With the split, Parkside finished the regular-season series against Davenport even at 2-2.
GAME ONE (PARKSIDE 4, DAVENPORT 3):
Parkside was held quiet offensively through the first five innings, but the Rangers came through with one big swing of momentum in the sixth and held on for a 4-3 win in the opener.
Davenport struck first in the bottom of the first. Chloe Bruman singled, stole second and later scored after a bases-loaded walk to Ally Prasnjak, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Casey Jo Vermett settled in from there, keeping Davenport off the board through the next four innings. She worked around a single in the fifth and kept the Rangers within one until the offense broke through.
Parkside finally answered in the sixth. Jadyn Polerecky singled to left, Mia Johnson walked, and after Ava Swain popped up a bunt, Isabel Aranda moved both runners into scoring position with a groundout. Megan Medlin then delivered the biggest swing of the game, doubling to center to score both Polerecky and Johnson and put Parkside in front 2-1. Elodie Sullivan followed with an RBI single up the middle, and CICI Di Silvio added an RBI single to left to stretch the lead to 4-1.
Davenport responded in the bottom half when Bruman singled and Alaina Schwanke was hit by a pitch. Prasnjak then doubled down the left-field line to score both runners and cut the Parkside lead to 4-3.
Vermett slammed the door in the seventh. After Kailyne Luna singled and moved to second on a passed ball with two outs, Vermett got Bruman to ground out to third to finish the complete-game win.
Parkside finished with five hits in the opener. Medlin went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI, Sullivan added a hit and an RBI, and Di Silvio drove in one. Utrata, Polerecky and Sullivan each recorded hits, while Johnson reached base three times with three walks and scored once.
Vermett earned the win after throwing all seven innings, allowing five hits and three runs while walking two and striking out six.
Davenport also totaled five hits. Prasnjak drove in all three Panther runs, while Bruman went 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
GAME TWO (DAVENPORT 6, PARKSIDE 5):
The second game flipped late, with Parkside rallying for four runs in the seventh before Davenport answered with three in the bottom half to walk it off.
Davenport again scored first in the opening inning. Kailyne Luna walked and came around to score on a bunt from Chloe Bruman that turned into a throwing error, giving the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
The Panthers added two more in the fourth. Savanna Clark singled on a bunt, Luna reached on an error, and Bruman followed with another bunt single. Alaina Schwanke then singled through the right side to score Luna, and Chloe Parker added an RBI single through the left side to make it 3-0.
Parkside got one back in the sixth. Aranda reached on an error, Di Silvio was hit by a pitch, and Taylor Utrata singled up the middle to score Aranda and cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Rangers then surged ahead in the seventh. Polerecky walked, Johnson singled up the middle, and both runners stole to put the tying run in scoring position. Ava Swain walked to load the bases, and Aranda followed with an RBI walk to make it 3-2. Medlin then reached on a fielder's choice to bring home Johnson and tie the game. Sullivan came through next, lining a two-run single to right center that scored Kendall Woods and Aranda to give Parkside a 5-3 lead.
Davenport had the final answer. Prasnjak walked and Lexie McCarty singled to begin the bottom of the seventh. Madison Cole then laid down a sacrifice bunt, and a throwing error allowed both runners to score, tying the game at 5-5. After another sacrifice bunt moved Cole to third, Luna singled up the middle to bring home the winning run and give Davenport the 6-5 walk-off win.
Parkside finished with five hits in game two. Sullivan drove in two, Utrata went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Johnson reached three times with a hit, two walks, a run scored and a stolen base, and Valha doubled. Aranda scored twice and drove in a run, while Polerecky walked, stole a base and scored.
Holly Lowenberg started in the circle and allowed three runs, two earned, on seven hits over four innings. Melanie Andrysiak worked the final 2.2 innings and was charged with three unearned runs.
Davenport totaled 10 hits in the win. Luna went 3-for-4 with the walk-off RBI, while Schwanke had two hits and an RBI. Cole drove in two on the seventh-inning sacrifice bunt and Bruman added a hit and an RBI.
Parkside now has just two doubleheaders left in the regular season, both against Roosevelt. The Rangers will head to Rosemont, Illinois, on Wednesday, April 29, for the first two games of the four-game stretch, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. CT.
To keep up with the Rangers, be sure to visit parksiderangers.com/coverage.
