LEESBURG, Fla. – Junior first baseman Olivia Howe (Arundel, Maine) hit a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth to lift Saint Joseph's College (1-0) past Rivier University (0-1) in non-conference softball action in The Spring Games at the Sleepy Hollow Complex on Sunday afternoon.
The Monks were also scheduled to play Illinois College this afternoon, but the game was canceled due to a shortage of umpires. St. Joe's will likely add another contest to their spring trip schedule later this week.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
St. Joe's secured a 2-0 edge in the bottom of the second, when junior Amaya Dacier (Warwick, R.I.) sent senior catcher Bailey Rassol (Rehoboth, Mass.) home on a single to center and sophomore Taylor Owen (Wakefield, Mass.) also scored on a misplayed ball by the Rivier center fielder.
The Raiders scored a run but left the bases loaded in the top of the third and the Monks took a 3-1 lead when senior third baseman Emily Jefferds (Scarborough, N.H.) singled and sprinted home on an infield error.
Rivier tied the game at 3-3 with two runs off two hits in the top of the fifth and claimed a 4-3 lead when Kylie Poisson singled, moved up two bases on a pair of wild pitches, and scored on a Kayla Miles single to right-center.
With two out in the bottom of the seventh, Dacier reached on an error and was lifted in favor of a pinch runner in Emily Hodgkins (Raymond, N.H.), who scored the tying run when Jefferds reached on yet another Rivier miscue.
After holding the Raiders off the board in the top of the eighth, the Monks managed to walk off in the bottom of the extra frame. Owen was placed on second to start the inning and moved to third on an infield hit off the bat of senior Ashley Emery (Madison, Maine) to set the stage for Howe, who only had to get the ball into the outfield for the Monks to win. Howe executed the effort perfectly with a fly ball to center for the winning sac fly.
IN THE CIRCLE:
- SJC junior starter Meredith Pence (Remington, Va.) did not factor into the decision after allowing a run off three hits and six walks with six K's over four innings
- Junior Emily Eagleston (Reading, Mass.) earned the victory after giving up three runs off six hits and a walk with five punch-outs in four innings
- Rivier reliever Nicole Verrette was hit with the loss after yielding two unearned runs off four hits with three K's in four frames
OFF THE BAT:
- Howe was 2-for-4 with an RBI
- Rassol went 2-for-4 with a run
- For Rivier, Josie Maggiore went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Alicia McKenna was 2-for-4 with an RBI
NEXT!
Tomorrow, Saint Joseph's will play Wittenberg at 9:45 AM and Nebraska Wesleyan at 2:15 PM.
