Aquinas had lost four straight at home, but on Monday they dropped down to 5-9 to make it five. They came up short against the Melrose-Mindoro Mustangs, falling 7-1. The Blugolds were not able to make up for their defeat to the Mustangs from their previous meeting back in April of 2023.
Abby Ziolkowski spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and four unearned) runs on ten hits.
At the plate, Aquinas saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ava Scholze, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one RBI.
As for Melrose-Mindoro, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 13-3. Considering they have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
On Melrose-Mindoro's side, Bella Rozek was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Rozek has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, Opal Buchanan was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run. Lauralee Stanton was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Aquinas will host Sparta at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Melrose-Mindoro, they will welcome Whitehall at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The Vikings have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 10.17 runs per game on average), something the Mustangs will no doubt try to take advantage of.
