KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The #4 ranked Cougars of Kalamazoo Valley CC took a couple more wheels off the Raider bus as eight errors proved to be the difference in two more Raider losses. With the sweep, the Cougars upped their league best record to 15-1 (7-1) while the visitors fell to 8-14 (2-6).

Lindsey Schroedter who had been an offensive threat the last couple games continued right where she left off with a single up the middle the start the game. A double by Jessica Kohloff two batters later put the Raiders up 1-0 early. Just one inning later, the wheels started to fall off. The Cougars scored 5 runs, 4 of which were unearned, because of an error by left fielder Marlene Packer that prolonged the inning. 

With starter Casey Cherry still on the mound in the bottom of the 3^rd, the Cougars lead off with an error on the shortstop and followed that up with a base on balls and a hit by pitch. It was Cherry’s 3^rd HBP of the game and in came sophomore Ashley “Puff” Raap. Raap pitched pretty solid the remainder of the game, giving up just 3 hits and 1 run, but the 2^nd inning damage was too much to recover from and the Raiders wound up 8-3 losers.

Each team had 6 hits in the ball game and sophomore Alison Iuelle hit a line drive homerun over the 210 centerfield fence in the 6^th inning. It was her 3^rd of the season and ties her for 1^st all time in career homers with 14. She is tied with Ashley Snider (who hit all 14 of her homers in 2009) and assistant coach Michelle Racine.

The team stayed focused in between games and lead off game two with another run in the first, an RBI single by Brenna Donahue. Kohloff who had pitched a very good game in just her 2^nd start didn’t have any help from her defense as they scored 6 unearned runs in the 2^nd and 3^rd innings off of her. Puff came in to close out the 3^rd inning, but allowed 2 more unearned runs and after 3 it was already 8-1 KVCC.

Kellen Dewey pitched the 4^th inning for the Raiders and KVCC picked up the runs they needed to beat the Raiders in 5 innings. Her team finished with just 3 hits and 5 errors. Packer (double), Megan Bridges, and Donahue were the only Raiders with a hit. 

The Raiders will do battle again this Thursday, April 7^th, at Kellogg Community College’s Bailey Park, home of this year’s Regional Tournament. Game time is 3:00 pm.