OAK CREEK, Wis. – MATC softball couldn't quite get going offensively during Friday's home doubleheader against Bryant & Stratton.

In wet and rainy conditions, the Stormers took a 18-1 opening defeat in five innings before Game 2 got called off due to potential thunderstorms.

In the opener, MATC was limited to just one hit offensively. Sophomore outfielder Ryen Pagano barreled a solo home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to help break up Bryant & Stratton starter Holly Lowenberg's perfect-game bid.

"Pagano is one of those players that we can always rely on offensively," MATC head coach Joe Kuntner said. "She's a team captain for a reason."

Outside of Pagano's solo shot, the Stormers' offense combined for eight strikeouts in 13 total at-bats.

"We had a game plan in place, fortunately we didn't stay off Lowenberg's riseball," Kuntner said of his team's offensive display at the plate. "We let too many first-pitch strikes go by without even an attempt."

Defensively, the Stormers totaled six errors in the field, which helped lead to seven unearned runs by the Bobcats. MATC starter Eleanor Henschel went two full innings, giving up eight runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks. Reliever Jordan Hanserd surrendered four runs on five hits while striking out three and walking one. Nevaeh Folk also tossed ⅔ innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on six hits.

Bryant & Stratton took a 4-0 lead in the second off three RBI singles and an RBI flyout. The Bobcats then extended their lead to 10-0 in the third off five hits that were aided by two defensive errors and a walk. Pagano's homer in the fourth cut the deficit to nine before Bryant & Stratton plated eight more runs in the top of the fifth off seven hits.

"We will have a hard day of practice coming on Monday," Kuntner said. "We are going to do our best to fix things. In two weeks we have playoffs and so we have to finish the season strong."

STAT BOOK
Pagano recorded the Stormers' only hit, a solo home run in the fourth to help lead MATC at the plate. Henschel tossed two innings, giving up eight runs (five earned) on seven hits while striking out one and walking two.

UP NEXT
MATC (24-20) will travel to Triton College Tuesday for a road doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.