March 15: Late runs helped both Wesleyan University and Macalester College to wins against the St. Lawrence softball team on Sunday evening, as the Saints fell 3-2 and 8-5, respectively, on the second day of their spring training trip in Clermont, Fl.
The Saints jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on a double by senior
Aisha O'Connor that drove in first-year
Kylee Knight.
That lead would hold until the bottom of the fifth inning when Jill Gately reach on an error, was moved over on a sac bunt and then scored on a single to left field by Jamie Hom.
St. Lawrence answered in the sixth when first-year
Laura Finley singled up the middle to drive in O'Connor, who led off the inning with a walk. Finley was the only Saint to record a multi-hit game against the Cardinals.
Wesleyan scored two in the bottom half of the frame to retake the lead, 3-2, and the Saints stranded a pair of runners in the seventh to end the game.
Kyle Plimpton was stellar in the loss, striking out 11.
First-year
Emma Gailey got the nod in the circle for St. Lawrence in game two against Macalester, throwing five and 2/3 innings and striking out five.
The Saints again got an early lead on a single to right field by Finley that brought Knight around to score in the first inning, but found themselves in a 5-1 hole in the fourth inning after giving up one run in the second and four in the fourth.
A trio of first years earned RBIs in the fifth to help the Saints pull even at 5-5 as Finley tallied her second of the day with a ground out that plated Knight. She was followed by
Emma Reakes who ripped a two-run double to the base of the wall in left center; driving in O'Connor and fellow senior
Brady Cooper.
Jacqueline Dufour then pinch-hit for
Jordan Sheridan and earned a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.
But Macalester added a pair of runs in the sixth and an insurance run in the seventh to seal the victory.
Cooper and O'Connor led the Saints with multi-hit performances in game two, while Knight added a pair of runs scored.
The Saints are set to play Lancaster Bible College and will have a rematch with Western New England on Monday afternoon at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.
