UNION USES LATE RALLY TO SWEEP SAINTS

IN FINAL CONFERENCE GAMES OF 2007

April 29: The St. Lawrence University softball team dropped their final two Liberty League contests of the season on Sunday afternoon, as Union College pitcher Tiffany Ippoliti held the Saints to one hit in the opening game of the doubleheader which the Dutchwomen won 6-0. In the nightcap, the Scarlet and Brown opened up a 5-0 cushion in the second inning. However, Union used a late rally in the sixth inning, rattling off eight runs to come-from-behind and sweep the Saints, 13-7.

 

Sophomore pitcher Janelle Graves held the Liberty League’s second-place team to zero runs through three innings before running into trouble in the fourth. Diana Polli lined a ground-ruled double down the left field line to lead off the inning, and her pinch runner Lucia Reed scored on a fielding error by Saints rookie third baseman Jessica Manderfield. Megan Kaknis followed with an RBI double, and Catherine Kielb delivered the big blow, a two-run homer to center to make the score 4-0 in Union’s favor.

 

Junior pitcher Jess McPherson, who made an impressive debut against Skidmore yesterday, relieved Graves in the fourth and retired the Dutchwomen without allowing any further damage.

 

Ippoliti carried her perfect game bid into the fifth inning and seemed in control after retiring Manderfield on an easy pop up to the shortstop. Her one blemish on the afternoon would come to the following batter, though, as first year student Jenna Padeni lined a clean single to left field to break up both the perfect game and no hitter bid.

 

However, that was the lone base-runner the Saints would have in the opener, as Ippoliti retired the next eight batters in a row to improve to 9-4 on the season. Union added two insurance runs in the fifth inning when Kaknis homered to left field to plate Michelle Rogers and complete the game’s scoring.

 

Graves took the loss and fell to 2-9, allowing four runs on five hits. McPherson also pitched three innings in relief, allowing two runs on four hits.

 

The beginning of the second game couldn’t have started out better for St. Lawrence, as senior Ava Pickering shut down Union in the first inning and allowed her team to go to work offensively against Lindsay Colvin. The Saints wild half of the inning featured a passed ball, two errors, and three hits from rookie Molly Swan, senior Yralee Mendez, and first year student Alexandria Wajer (2b). The Scarlet and Brown knocked Colvin from the game without retiring a batter in the second, while Ippoliti came in to relieve her and got out of the inning after five runs had been posted.

 

Union would get a run back in the second when Kielb homered to lead off the inning against Pickering to make the score 5-1. However, Pickering would respond by getting Bridget Graham to line into a double play to end the threat in the second.

 

The Dutchwomen continued to climb back into the game with a three-run third inning, with the big hit once again coming off the bat of Kaknis, who blasted a three-run homer to centerfield with two outs to bring Union to within one run at 5-4.

 

After the home team tied the score 5-5 in the bottom of the fourth, the Saints offense went back to work in the fifth, scoring two runs to take a 7-5 advantage. First year student Jennifer Girard laid down a bunt-single, and was driven home by Swan’s RBI single to center one out later. After Padeni singled to advance Swan to second, sophomore Lilah Brown drove a two-out base hit to centerfield that scored Swan to complete St. Lawrence’s scoring.

 

Unfortunately for the Saints, their bid to split the series with Union came unraveled in the bottom of the sixth inning. Rogers gave the Dutchwomen their first lead of the game, 8-7, when she drove her sixth homerun of the season over the leftfield wall against McPherson, who relieved Pickering in the fourth. After the homerun, Graves replaced McPherson and had little luck against Union’s line-up, as Kaitlin Graham and Ashley Kovack hurt her with RBI hits to break open the game and give the Dutchwomen a 13-7 lead.

 

Ginny Sack earned the win and improved to 9-1 on the season after getting the final five outs for Union. Meanwhile, Graves was credited with the loss and dropped to 2-10.

 

Swan and Wajer each had two hits for the Saints on the afternoon, while Swan, Mendez, and Brown drove in runs for the visitors.

 

The Saints will play their final doubleheader of the 2007 season on Wednesday, May 2nd in Clinton, NY against Hamilton College. The Saints and Continentals will square off at 4:00pm.

 

 

 

ATKINS AND RICHARDSON PACE SAINTS

IN SWEEP OF THOROUGHBREDS

April 28: The St. Lawrence University softball team snapped an eight game losing streak and picked up their first conference victories of the year with 8-3 and 8-1 wins over Skidmore College on Saturday afternoon. The Saints were led by their rookies at the plate, as they batted in eleven runs on the afternoon including three each from first year student Amy Atkins and sophomore Meghan Richardson. On the mound, sophomore Janelle Graves allowed only three runs on seven hits to win the opener, while junior Jess McPherson pitched six innings in the second game while allowing only three hits and one run.

 

The Saints jumped right out of the gate against the Thoroughbreds in the opening game, as first year student Jenna Padeni delivered a two-out single that scored fellow classmate Julia Humphries. Atkins then followed with another clutch hit, scoring two more to put St. Lawrence on top 3-0 after a half inning of play.

 

After St. Lawrence tacked on another run in the second, Skidmore would get to Graves in the bottom of the inning to make the score 4-1. The Thoroughbreds would load the bases in the inning, and Lauren Dinsdale connected for an RBI single to plate the home team’s first run. However, Graves would battle out of the jam and protect her three run lead.

 

After the Thoroughbreds cut the deficit to one in the third, 4-2, senior Yralee Mendez gave her pitcher two insurance runs, as the New York, NY native belted a pitch over the wall in left-center field for her second career homerun. Mendez’s two RBI’s gave the Saints a 6-2 lead, which was more than enough for Graves.

 

St. Lawrence would plate runs in both the top of the sixth and seventh innings to open up an 8-2 lead to ensure their seventh win of the season. Atkins came through with another RBI in the sixth, while Richardson tacked on the team’s final run in the bottom half of the seventh to score first year student Molly Swan from first base.

 

Despite allowing a run to Skidmore in the bottom of the seventh, Graves picked up her second win of 2007 despite allowing seven hits spread out over seven innings. The Fort Ann, NY native gave up three earned runs and five walks, but countered with five strikeouts.

 

McPherson was the story of the second game, as she was added to the Saints roster this week with the team short on depth at pitcher. The Ogdensburg, NY native, who played for the Scarlet and Brown in her rookie season (2005), allowed only one earned run in six innings, while striking out six batters to two walks.

 

McPherson’s outstanding start on the mound was backed by another eight run performance by the Saints that again started in the early innings. After the visitors grabbed a 1-0 lead through one inning, they tacked on three more in the second to open up a comfortable 4-0 lead. Atkins, sophomore Lilah Brown, and rookie Jennifer Girard opened the inning with consecutive singles to load the bases with no one out. Atkins would then score on a wild pitch by Dinsdale, who pitched for the Thoroughbreds in the second game. After Brown scored on a groundout by Mendez, Girard would then come to the plate on an RBI single by Swan to cap off a three run inning.

 

Skidmore would tally their only run against McPherson in the third, as Dinsdale led off with a double. After she advanced on a groundout by Lindsey Kocur, she scored on an RBI single by Shaila DeLea. However, McPherson showed great poise in only her third inning of the season, getting Sarah Stehouwer to fly out to second with runners on second and third to end the inning.

 

The Saints responded to McPherson’s performance in the third with three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to complete the scoring. Swan drove in Girard with an RBI double in the fourth, and Richardson followed with a single that scored two to extend St. Lawrence’s lead to 7-1 through three and a half innings.

 

The game’s final run came in the top of the fifth, as Girard continued the momentum for the Saints rookies, delivering a one-out single to score Atkins.

 

Senior Ava Pickering, who was cleared to play this weekend after being forced to sit with an injury to her pitching arm, relieved McPherson in the seventh. Though she allowed a leadoff single and had a wild pitch, Pickering struck out Erica Astarita swinging and retired both DeLea and Elise Bedard on fly outs to end the game.

 

St. Lawrence improved to 8-14 overall with the sweep, while Skidmore dropped to 12-19.

 

The Saints will be in action again tomorrow, Sunday, April 29th in the final contests of the Liberty League season. The Scarlet and Brown will meet Union College in Schenectady, NY for a doubleheader at 12:00pm.