Pride bats come alive to exact revenge on Saint Mary in Sunday split

DAVENPORT, Iowa - Wrapping up their 2026 season opening weekend with two more games in Davenport, Iowa's St. Ambrose Dome, the Clarke University softball team picked up their offensive output but still split their two games on Sunday afternoon with a 12-1 win over College of Saint Mary and a 9-5 loss to St. Ambrose University.

The Pride got contributions up and down the lineup against the Flames just a day after being shutout by CSM 1-0 as Teal Transburg got the scoring started with his first home run of the season with a solo shot to left field in the top of the second to give CU an early 1-0 lead and their first run against Saint Mary in nine innings. 

It would be a power surge for Clarke on Sunday when Lauren Hefel joined the party with a three-run shot in the top of the third before Oakleigh Harman followed suit with a two-run homer later in the inning to give CU a five-run third inning, putting them up 6-0 on the first collegiate home runs for two-thirds of the Pride starting outfield.

Both Harman and Hefel finished with two hits in the game along with nine-hole hitter Olivia Sikora, who turned the lineup over nicely at the bottom of the order with a 2-for-3 game scoring two runs and driving in a pair of runs in the fifth inning with a single.

Turning it over to the top of the order was key for Clarke in their 12-1 victory as leadoff hitter Kaylie Holtam and Harlee Makue-Vasconcellos right behind her in the two-spot both had three hits against the Flames as Holtam scored three times and Makue-Vasconcellos drove in a pair of runs with a fourth inning triple before both Hefel and Savannah Roberts drove in a run each later in the game to get the score to 12-0 entering the bottom of the fifth.

Junior pitcher Emma Slayback had a quality outing in her first start in the navy and gold, going 4.1 innings to allow just one earned run on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts, giving way to Payge Pyszka to get the final two outs of the game.

In the weekend finale against the host Fighting Bees, it looked to be a continuing strong offensive day for the Pride as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Hefel RBI double to score Holtam then she would double to start a rally in the top of the third, to be driven home by an Ellie Flanagan double, with Mya Durr singling home Destiny Kogianes, who pinch ran for Flanagan, to make it 3-0 Clarke heading to the bottom of the third.

Over their next four offensive innings, SAU scored one in the third, two in the fourth, then three apiece in the fifth and sixth to lead 9-4, scoring three runs apiece off of Clarke starter Meredith Gatto, Flanagan, and Pyszka with three of those nine runs being unearned.

The Pride offense was stymied by Fighting Bees' relief pitcher Bianca Shorter as she only allowed two hits over the final 4.1 innings of work while striking out two and also walking two batters to pick up her first win of the season.

Clarke softball will be right back in the Ambrose Dome next weekend when they play four more games on Feb. 14-15 starting with their Valentine's Day doubleheader against Saint Xavier University and Midland University at 10:45 a.m. CT and 3:15 p.m. CT respectively.