Saints Fall to Scots, Top Hawks in Nightcap
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Tara FreemanLeslie Stratton '14 went 3-for-5 on the day and scored 2 runs for the Saints.
March 11: The St. Lawrence University softball team earned another split in its Florida spring games, falling to Monmouth (IL) 3-0 in Sunday's opener before rebounding to top Becker, 5-2, under the lights. The Saints move to 2-2 on the season and will take on Westfield State and Franciscan in tomorrow's action.
St. Lawrence struggled against Monmouth's pitcher Taylor Smith in the first game, as she worked into the fifth inning with the lead after her team scored three unearned runs in the fourth inning. MC's Emily Woods scored the first run for the Scots when Kaitlyn Winkler's ground ball was thrown away. Winkler and Sommer Foster then scored when Alyssa Edler laid down a squeeze bunt. Foster raced home behind Winkler as Edler was thrown out at second trying to advance.
Leslie Stratton and Rebecca Allen had the lone hits for the Saints before Monmouth's Courtney Bennett came in to pitch two innings of hitless relief for the Scots. Liz McGinley was solid on the mound for St. Lawrence, allowing four hits in six innings, three strikeouts and no earned run.
St. Lawrence bounced back from the loss in the second game, jumping on Becker's pitcher Kelsey Norberg early in the first inning. Lauren Weisbarth hit an RBI triple to right center to bring home Stratton, then McGinley drove in Weisbarth on the next at bat to put the Saints up 2-0.
In the bottom of the third, the Saints took advantage of some Hawk miscues to take a 5-0 lead. Stratton, who led off with a single to right, crossed the plate on a passed ball. Natasha Bell came around to score on two more infield errors by Becker. Chelsea Cavellier capped off the inning with an RBI single to score Weisbarth.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Saints looked to add onto their lead as they loaded the bases with just one out. Becker's Jessica Brochu, however, handled Caroline Kieltyka's line drive at third base to record the second out then finished a double-play by tagging out Audra Caine to end the inning.
The Hawks tried to rally in the seventh as Jaclyn Orangio hit a two-RBI single to center with the bases loaded and her team down to their final out. A pop-fly on the very next at-bat ended the game, though, as the Saints' escaped the inning with minimal damage.
St. Lawrence pitcher Kyle Plimpton had an excellent night in picking up her first win of the season, striking out seven Hawks and allowing no runs through six and-two-thirds innings. Norberg made her first collegiate start for Becker, giving up seven hits in six inning while striking out seven.