CLERMONT, Fla. – The Alverno softball team ended the season on a high-note with a sweep of a pair of non-conference opponents at the Legends Way Ballfields in central Florida. In the morning session the Inferno knocked off local Milwaukee foe Mount Mary by a 2-1 score before downing the North Central (Minn.) Rams by a 9-1 score in five innings.
 
Between games the Inferno honored seniors Kaitlynn Johnson and Sara Redlin, playing in their final collegiate games due to the season being dramatically shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Junior pitcher Kaitlynn Schmick earned a save in the opener and a win in the second game, as she pitched a combined six innings, allowing just four hits and one run while striking out three against Mount Mary and another seven against North Central.
 
Freshman Seneca Peterson pitched the first three innings in the opener against the Blue Angels and scattered three hits and three walks while allowing just one unearned run. Sophomore Natalie Akin pitched two hitless frames while striking out three before Schmick came on for the save. Akin also started the second game and threw another hitless frame with one strikeout.
 
The offense in the game with Mount Mary was highlighted by a pair of RBIs in separate at bats from the bat of junior Lauren Greif as she picked up two of Alverno's eight hits. Schmick also had two hits in the effort, as did freshman Zimri Lemonds to lead the offense for the Inferno.
 
Later in the day, Alverno clobbered North Central pitching for 10 hits and nine runs over 4 1/3-plus innings including a game-high three hits off the bat of Akin as she had two RBIs. Lemonds had a multi-RBI game as she had one hit on the night cap, while freshman classmate Izzy Torres also had one hit in her only at bat of the game, with a three-run home run to invoke the run-rule during the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
The Inferno also had RBIs by both freshmen Leah Gamboa and Megan Bradford as the pair each went 1-for-2 on the afternoon. Redlin, along with Schmick and Greif each collected one hit apiece in the lopsided victory.
 
Game 1 vs. Mount Mary
After a quick first inning, the Inferno went down in order in the second as Peterson returned to the circle and allowed two runners to reach with one down before the Blue Angels loaded the bases with two away. Peterson stepped up with a key strikeout to strand the bases loaded and send the game to the third.
 
Alverno threatened in the third frame as Lemonds and classmate Jaden Rieck each collected singles, but Rieck was caught stealing before Mount Mary got out of the inning. The Blue Angels broke through taking advantage of an Inferno defensive miscue to score the game's first run.
 
The Inferno got right back to work on offense as Schmick reached on a one-out single before Akin doubled down the left field line. Greif reached on an infield single allowing Schmick to score the tying run.
 
Akin took over in the circle and set aside the six Mount Mary batters she faced with ease to send the game to the sixth. Schmick got the rally started again with a one-out double as she was lifted for freshman Ashley Flores, to pinch run. The freshman made it to third on a wild pitch before coming in to score on a base knock to left centerfield off the bat of Greif.
 
Schmick set down the side in order in the bottom inning, before setting down the first two in the bottom of the seventh. Mount Mary collected a two-out single, but Schmick got the next batter to strike out to seal the victory.
 
Game 2 vs. North Central (Minn.)
Looking to close out the season on a high note, the Inferno took on the Rams of North Central to close out the Florida trip. The Rams had a pair of runners reach on two defensive miscues, but Akin was able to get out of the inning on a fly ball down the left field line.
 
After Alverno went down in the bottom of the first, Schmick came on allowed one baserunner before striking out the next two to end the frame.
 
In the bottom of the second the Inferno got on the board as Akin singled and was lifted for a runner in Flores, who advanced to second on a wild pitch. Greif moved Flores up with a groundout before Lemonds broke through with a sacrifice fly allowing Flores to make the score 1-0 in favor of the Inferno.
 
The third inning was scoreless before Schmick got through the top of the fourth despite allowing a leadoff single.
 
In the bottom of the fourth Redlin got the action started with a single before Schmick reached on a dropped fly ball two-base error. Akin followed with a single to score the pair before Greif and Lemonds reached to load the bases. Gamboa made the score 4-0 as she reached on a single before Bradford registered the first hit of her career to plate the fifth Inferno run.
 
North Central was able to scratch across one run in the top of the fifth on a pair of singles, a walk, and a groundout before Schmick took care of business by snaring a ground ball and tossing to first to retire the side.
 
Schmick led off the bottom of the fifth with a single before Akin followed suit on a 3-1 pitch. Greif grounded out to move the pair into scoring position, before a Lemonds single allowed Schmick to score. Torres came up next and sent a ball over the centerfield fence to cap off the game with a three-run blast, invoking the run rule to seal the victory for Alverno.
 
The Inferno finished the shortened season with wins in its final two games to end the year with a 4-6 record.