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Click the AUDIO buttons to hear post-game comments from Izzy Drabant and Allie Radcliffe.

ESCANABA---The Bay College Norse softball team wrapped up its season with a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday, beating Alpena Community College, 10-6 and 5-2.

The Norse ended their season with a bang, as sophomore Izzy Drabant smoked a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to break a 2-2 tie.
 

“As soon as I hit it, I knew it was gone,” Drabant said. “I was like, yeah, that's gone! And it's actually crazy. I want to shout out my mom because today is her birthday. My very first home run ever, in high school, I hit it on my mom's birthday. And I hit my very last on my mom's birthday in college.”

Before she hit that bomb, though, Allie Radcliffe had to do some work in the pitcher's circle.

Radcliffe got out of a second-and-third situation in the top of the sixth inning with the game tied 2-2, and then she pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to preserve the win.

“It was not easy, but at the same time, I trusted me defense,” Radcliffe said. “I came in, and I was just like, throw strikes, that's what I need to do. Just try to put the ball in play because I trusted my defense to let them get the outs. That last inning, I threw, like, maybe less than nine pitches.”

Desiree Bender threw five strong innings for the Norse before running into trouble in the top of the sixth inning. She ended up with a no-decision in the circle.

The Norse finished their softball season with a 7-20 overall record (7-13 in the MAACC Conference), which is not the kind of the season they wanted.

But at the same time, the experience meant a lot for the players under first year coaches Teener Gosse and Todd Ciochetto.

“It feels pretty great, because when I came here today, I was kind of struggling (about the season ending),” Drabant said. “I know I'm not going anywhere after this. It just felt great to have a really good game, especially after last year. I didn't really have a season last year because I was injured and had a bad spine injury.”

So, what happened on her big home run that ended her career?

“It was the very first pitch,” Drabant said. “Normally I just take those. But this time, I was like, no I'm swinging! I was like, no, please (coach) don't bunt me. Because I felt like I had it in me, so I'm glad. I actually didn't realize that we were tied!”

Radcliffe says that the season was a tough one, but the girls all stayed together.

“Even if we were down 10-0, we were all still upbeat and trying to keep each other positive,” Radcliffe said. “I mean, once you get down, you dig yourself into a hole, and in the game, it just kind of shows. So, we always tried to keep a positive attitude in the dugout.”

The Norse ended up going 6-6 in their final 12 games after losing 14 of their first 15 games.

The following additional details are from Bay College Sports Information:
 

The Bay College Softball Team (7-20, 7-13 MCCAA) ended their season at home with a pair of wins over the Alpena Community College Lumberjacks (3-22, 1-15 MCCAA) on Tuesday afternoon.
 

Bay won the first game 10-6 before getting a last at bat homerun to seal a 5-2 victory and a season sweep of the Lumberjacks.

The Norse jumped out to a three-run lead in the first thanks to RBI singles by Zoe Rumble (SO, Blenheim, ON) and Ava Mottin (SO, Williamston, MI).  They added two in the second when Sierra Jones (SO, Calgary, AB) sent a two-out double into left field.

Alpena finally answered back in the fourth taking advantage of a pair of two-out walks.  Alaina Saari (SO, Marquette, MI) doubled in a pair of runs and scored on Kenna Tippman's (FR, Venice, FL) RBI single, cutting Bay's lead to two runs.

The two teams traded runs in the next half innings, but the Norse had a big bottom of the fifth to build a lead.  With two outs and a run across in the frame, Bay rattled off four consecutive hits.  Desiree Bender (SO, Sandusky, MI) lined an RBI double to center, Lexie Resseguie (FR, Fort Collins, CO), hit an RBI single, Jones kept the inning going with a single to left, and Rumble singled to center to drive in another run.  Bay held a 10-4 lead at the end of the fifth.

A defensive miscue allowed Alpena to keep the sixth alive and score a pair, but the Norse held on for a 10-6 victory.

Izzy Drabant (SO, Sandusky, MI) was the winning pitcher for the Norse.  She went four and one-third innings and gave up four runs on six hits and four walks while striking out three.  Allie Radcliffe (FR, Republic, MI) entered the game in the fifth with the Norse clinging to a two-run lead.  She finished off the game, picking up a save.  She gave up two unearned runs, three hits, walked one, and struck out three.

Bender, Resseguie, Jones, Rumble, and Mottin each had multi-hit games for the Norse.  

The Lumberjacks struck first in the nightcap.  In the top of the first Rhea Amrich (SO, Oscoda, MI) drove in Tippman who led off the game with a double. 

Both offenses struggled to find an answer to the pitchers in game two.  The Norse finally cracked the scoreboard in the fourth after an error extended the inning.  Emma Rutter (SO, Chatham, MI) picked up an RBI with a sacrifice fly to center tying the game.

The Norse took their first lead of the game in the fifth when Bender lined a single to center to drive Resseguie home, but left the bases loaded in the frame.

That left the door open for Alpena as they led the sixth inning off with a pair of singles.  Macy Schram (FR, Alpena, MI) tied the game with an RBI single and put the go-ahead run on third base with one out.  That would chase Bay's starting pitcher, Bender, out of the game in favor of Radcliffe.  In a key situation she got a comebacker hit to her which temporarily held the runner at third.  The Norse secured the out at first and the runner at third broke for home.
 

Rumble received the throw from Radcliffe and fired home just in time to catch the runner.  The unconventional double play kept the game tied.

In the bottom of the sixth the Norse used the momentum from that play.  Rutter singled to right and Radcliffe doubled, putting runners on second and third.  Izzy Drabant came through in a clutch situation, driving a home run to left center to put Bay in the lead for good.

Radcliffe got the Lumberjacks to go in order in the seventh giving the Norse a 5-2 win.

Jones finished the game two for three with a double, and Bender was two for three with an RBI.

Bender started the game in the pitching circle and went five and one-third.  She scattered seven hits and gave up two runs on two walks while striking out four.  Radcliffe got credit for the win and pitched the final one and two-thirds innings.  She gave up no hits and walked no one.

The Norse finish the season with a 7-20 record under first year head coach Christine Gosse. 

Their 7-13 record in the MCCAA Northern Conference puts them in fifth place in the conference standings.