CLERMONT, Fla.- Saint Joseph's College (1-3) split a pair of games in THE Spring Games on Monday afternoon. The Monks opened with a 9-1 loss to Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and picked up their first win of the season with a 9-5 triumph over Houghton College.
MSOE 9, SAINT JOSEPH'S 1:
The Monks grabbed a 1-0 lead when senior second baseman Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) worked a leadoff walk and later scored on a double off the bat of freshman shortstop Lauren Leidemann-Smith (South Berwick, Maine).
The slim lead remained until the bottom of the third, when the Raiders plated three runs off four hits, including a pair of triples. MSOE tacked on a single run in the fifth and blew the lid off with five runs off three hits and three SJC errors in the bottom of the sixth.
Amanda Manssen led the MSOE offense by going 3-4 with a run, a double, and two RBI while Grace Salaja went 2-3 with three runs scored. Starting pitcher Sarah Grossman earned the victory after allowing a run off four hits over 4.1 innings.
For the Monks, Leidemann-Smith went 2-3 with a double and an RBI and senior third baseman Kaylee Burns (Saco, Maine) was 1-3 with a double. Freshman starter Meredith Pence (Remington, Va.) took the loss after yielding four runs (three earned) off five hits and two walks with five K's over 4.1 innings.
SAINT JOSEPH'S 9, HOUGHTON 5:
Trailing 2-0 early, St. Joe's tied the contest with two runs off three hits and a Houghton error in the bottom of the second and plated four off three knocks and a pair of Houghton miscues in the third to grab a 6-2 cushion. Leidemann-Smith was in the middle of both scoring barrages, as the freshman shortstop doubled home a run in the first and delivered an RBI single and scored in the second.
The Monks remained in the lead for the duration, but Houghton tacked on two runs in the third and another in the fourth to make it a 6-5 game. Saint Joseph's managed to put the game out of reach with three runs off five hits in the bottom of the sixth when Pomerleau posted an RBI triple, junior center fielder Meranda Martin (Richmond, Maine) ripped a run-scoring single, and Leidemann-Smith notched an RBI base hit.
SAINT JOSEPH'S STANDOUTS:
- Leidemann-Smith was 3-4 with a run, a double, and three RBI
- Freshman first baseman Olivia Howe (Saco, Maine) went 3-3 with two runs and a double
- Pomerleau added two hits in four at-bats with two runs, a triple, and an RBI
- Martin was 2-3 with a pair of runs, a double, two RBI, and a stolen base
- Senior starter Kate Whitney (Jonesboro, Maine) improved to 1-1 on the season after allowing five runs off nine hits and three walks
- Senior Caitlyn King (Old Town, Maine) tossed two scoreless innings
- Pence closed out the game with two strikeouts in in the top of the seventh
OPPONENTS' LEADERS:
- Grace Thompson was 3-4 with a run, a double, and an RBI
- Caitlyn Cybart was 2-3 with a run and a double
- Hannah Cybart went 2-3 with an RBI
- Starting pitcher Grace Edwards took the loss after allowing six runs (four earned) off six hits and a walk in 1.2 innings
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's is back in action on Wednesday with games versus Aurora (10:00 AM) and Mitchell (12:15 PM).
