Saints Lose to Simmons, Hood

by: 

Sandra Cavellier

The Saints will play Franciscan and Lawrence tomorrow in their southern trip finale.

March 14:  The St. Lawrence University softball team suffered a two-game setback on Thursday after being shut out by Simmons and Hood in the team's spring break games in Clermont, FL.  The Saints, who fall to 5-5 on the season, struggled offensively with a combined nine hits on the day.

St. Lawrence faced Simmons in the first game, losing 8-0 in five innings.  The Saints had trouble cracking Shark pitcher Lauren Backhaus and were also done in by four defensive errors.  Backhaus scattered three hits in five innings of work, striking out four and walking one for the shutout.  Meanwhile, St. Lawrence's sophomore pitcher Kyle Plimpton allowed seven hits, eight runs, only three of which were earned, while walking six and striking out four.  

Plimpton and the Saints got three quick outs defensively in the first inning.  However, Simmons scored a combined eight runs over the next 3.2 innings, ending the game with an RBI single to centerfield in the fifth inning that brought the 8-run rule into effect. 

The Saints had lead-off singles and runners in scoring position with less than two outs in the third and fourth innings, but couldn't push a run across. 

In the nightcap, the Saints held the Blazers to just one run through four innings, but Hood erupted offensively for a combined nine runs in the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach for the Saints.    

St. Lawrence will look to rebound from today's losses when it concludes its southern trip tomorrow with games against Franciscan and Lawrence at 1pm and 3pm.