CALEDONIA, Mich. – Davenport played their fifth and sixth games at the Farmers Insurance Athletic Complex this week and got two important conference victories. The Panthers defeated Parkside 7-4 in game one and then had a thrilling 4-3 walk-off win in game two. The wins boost Davenport into third place in the conference with a 4-2 record.
 
Game 1-Thursday, March 28 at 3:30 p.m.
Final Score: Davenport University-7 | Parkside-4
Location: Caledonia, Mich.
Records: DU (10-11, 3-2) | UWP (0-23, 0-5)


 
Inside The Box
Lauren French (2-3, 3 R, RBI, BB, SB)
Gabby Palazzolo (3-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 3B, HR)
Mariah Cura (1-3, 2 RBI, SF)
Alexa Flores (2-3)
Alexis Koza (1-2, R, BB)
Emma Miller (W, 2-2) 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO
Ellie Muilenburg (S, 1) 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO


The Panthers opened in the bottom of the first inning by scoring three runs and looking to run away with things. Palazzolo homered to right field, scoring French and herself, while Flores singled to right field and scored Merice. Neither team scored in the second and DU went into the third with a 3-0 lead. The Rangers made a statement in the third, scoring four runs to take the lead 4-3. Davenport tied the game 4-4 in the fourth when Cura singled through the left side, scoring French. The game was tied heading into the sixth inning and that's when things took a turn for the better for DU. The Panthers went off for three runs, taking a 7-4 advantage. French got the scoring started with a single, scoring Koza. Then Palazzolo tripled down the left line to score French. Later on, Cura hit a sac fly to second base and Palazzolo scored from third. Ellie Muilenburg came in during the seventh, getting all three outs and earning the save.
 
Game 2-Thursday, March 28 at 5:40 p.m.
Final Score: Davenport University-4 | Parkside-3
Location: Caledonia, Mich.
Records: DU (11-11, 4-2) | UWP (0-24, 0-6)


 
Inside The Box
Palazzolo (2-4, R, 2B)
Cura (0-1, R, 2BB, SH)
Merice (4-4, 3 RBI, 2 2B)
Flores (1-2, BB)
Jorden Urban (1)
Koza (1-3, RBI)
Muilenburg (W, 5-3) 7 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 SO
 
The defense improved in the second game for both teams, providing a thrilling finish for the fans who the brisk air after the sun started to set. Parkside opened the game taking a lead in the top of the first, but Davenport quickly tied in the bottom half of the inning with a score by Cura. The Panthers took the lead in the third when Merice hit her second double of the game, this to center field, scoring Palazzolo. The Rangers made things interesting when they scored a pair in the top of the fifth, taking a 3-2 lead with few innings remaining. Davenport wasn't able to score in the bottom of the fifth and went into the bottom of the sixth still trailing by one run. Davenport got the game-tying run from pinch runner Urban, who was driven home by Koza on a groundout. Muilenburg didn't allow a run in the top of the seventh and the pressure was on for the DU offense. Heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, with the score tied at 3-3, the Panthers had the top of their order stepping up to the plate. French opened for DU by getting hit by a pitch, putting the winning run on first. Palazzolo was next up to the plate and singled up the middle, putting runners on first and second. Next up was Cura, who reached on a muffed catch, loading the bases with zero outs for Merica. Merice wasn't fazed by the pressure and drilled a single through the right side, scoring French with ease for the walk-off win!


 
Up Next
Davenport will finish off their week with a pair of road doubleheaders. The Panthers travel to Midland on Saturday to face Northwood University, with the first game starting at 1:00 p.m.
 
Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Kara DeVries