KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Saint Joseph's College (5-3) picked up a pair of victories in THE Spring Games softball action at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex on Thursday afternoon. The Monks opened the day with a 3-2 triumph over Marian (Wis.) (4-6) and capped the afternoon with a 3-0 win over York (Pa.) (3-3).
SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, MARIAN 2:
Junior center fielder Lydia Goodnough (Kennebunkport, Maine) led off the contest with a double, stole third, and scored on a Hannah Gosselin (Biddeford, Maine) sac bunt to lift the Royal Blue to an early 1-0 edge.
Marian countered with a run on a pair of hits in the bottom of the third, when Alivia Ernst (Petersburg, Ill.) posted a leadoff single and later crossed home plate on a Kaley Ludvigsen (Manhattan, Ill.) two-bagger to left field.
St. Joe's responded with two runs off three hits and a Marian error in their next turn at the bat, as freshman Sadie Tirrell (Naples, Maine) roped a two-run single to right field to lift her team to a 3-1 advantage.
The Sabres made it a one-run game in the bottom of the fifth when Riley Mankowski (Midlothian, Ill.) reached on an error and later scored on an infield groundout and had the leadoff hitter on base in the bottom of the seventh, but SJC starter Meredith Pence (Remington, Va.) induced a pair of infield pop-ups to cancel the threat.
IN THE CIRCLE:
Pence picked up her third win in as many starts after giving up two runs (one earned) on seven hits with eight strikeouts in a complete-game effort.
Marian senior starter Cailie Piner (Mayville, Wis.) suffered the loss after allowing three runs (one earned) off five hits over four innings. Freshman Morgan Mack (Deerfield, Wis.) and senior Emalee Depa (Mount Prospect, Ill.) combined to toss three innings of scoreless relief.
AT THE BAT:
- Goodnough went 2-4 with a run, a double, and a stolen base
- Tirrell was 1-2 with a pair of RBI
- Ernst was the Sabres' lone repeat-hitter and was 2-3 with a run scored
SAINT JOSEPH'S 3, YORK 0:
The Monks followed a similar formula in game two and again scored a run in the first inning, as Tirrell was hit by a pitch and later scored on a first-and-third steal play.
St. Joe's capped the game scoring in the bottom of the fourth by scoring a pair of runs off four hits, including RBI knocks from Gosselin and senior first baseman Olivia Howe (Arundel, Maine).
The Spartans attempted to rally in the top of the seventh when Sauers and McKeown singled to give York a pair of runners on base with two out, but senior pitcher Emily Eagleston (Reading, Mass.) worked out of the jam to earn a two-inning save.
IN THE CIRCLE:
SJC sophomore starter Paige Connery (Tyngsboro, Mass.) picked up her first collegiate victory after tossing three shutout innings while allowing two hits and two walks with a strikeout. Senior Sydney Hatch (Newburgh, Maine) worked two scoreless frames with a pair of strikeouts and Eagleston yielded two hits and a walk with one punchout in two innings of work.
York freshman starter Gretchen Barstad (Joppa, Md.) took the loss after allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks with five K's in five innings. Graduate reliever Amanda Criss (Bel Air, Md.) worked a perfect 1-2-3 sixth inning.
AT THE BAT:
- Sophomore third baseman Sylvia Foley (Scarborough, Maine) was 1-3 with a double
- Tirrell went 1-2 with two runs and a pair of stolen bases
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 1-2 all-time versus York College, a team the Monks last played in 2003. The Monks and Sabres had not met on the softball diamond prior to today's contest.
NEXT!
The Monks close out the spring trip tomorrow with games versus Rochester (N.Y.) (2:00 PM) and College of Saint Benedict (4:30 PM) at Fortune Road Athletic Complex Field #4.
