Jacee Casebolt had a win and a save in the circle as the St. Lawrence softball team topped the Dutchwomen of Union 6-3 and 7-6 on Saturday afternoon in Canton, N.Y.

Margo Hopper and Vivian Johnson each went four for four from the plate, and combined for five of the team's RBI. Lauryn Best went three for three in game two and had the first RBI in the fifth inning to lead the come back.

St. Lawrence 6, Union 3
Casebolt got the game one start and retired the first three batters on outfield flies. Through three innings she allowed just two baserunners, neither of which advanced past first.

Johnson led-off for the saints and hit a single to right field. Hopper brought her home on a triple to give the Saints the early lead. Cora Ferguson doubled the lead with a single to right center which brought Hopper around.

In the bottom of the second Johnson hit a two-out double and stole third. Stella VanGee walked, and Hopper singled to left to record her second and third RBI of the day and make it 4-0.

Karson Saunders of Union hit a lead-off home run to start the fourth inning. The Dutchwomen would score three in the inning to make it a one-run game. Sofia Berryhill would take the circle to get the final out of the inning.

Emily Harvey was called in to pinch hit in the bottom of the sixth, and singled to left field. Meredith Rose also pinch hit, and doubled to left center to get two on in scoring positions with no outs. Johnson hit a screamer through the right side to clear the bases and give the Saints a 6-3 cushion, which would hold as the final score.

Casebolt improved to 4-2 on the season. She gave up three hits and struck out two. Sofia Berryhill got her first save of the season. She allowed just one hit and struck out a pair in three and a third innings.

St. Lawrence 7, Union 6
The Saints came from behind twice in the second game of the day. After giving up two first inning runs, St. Lawrence bucked down and tied the game in the second inning. Lauryn Best hit a lead-off single, and Emily Desjardins came in to pinch run. Ferguson singled to right center which advanced Desjardins to third. Kayla Minst Singled up the middle to bring home Desjardins and Ferguson reached third. Zola Braswell grounded out to third which brought Ferguson, the tying run, across the plate.

In the bottom of the third Stella VanGee hit a three-bagger to dead center, and scored on a passed ball for St. Lawrence to take the 3-2 lead.

The Dutchwomen had a four-run inning to jump out to a 6-3 lead in the fifth inning. It looked like the rally would continue, but Johnson made a diving stop at short and flipped it to second baseman VanGee to get the force out and end the inning.

The middle infielders led off the bottom of the fifth and wasted no time getting a rally going. Johnson singled through the left side, and VanGee advanced her on a bunt. Heads up base running and an acrobatic slide moved Johnson all the way over to third, and VanGee took advantage of the commotion in the hot corner and took second. Hopper hit a hard ball to the pitcher, and the Johnson deked like she was going home to distract the pitcher, and Hopper reached to load the bases with no outs.

Best stepped up to the plate and whacked the ball hard through the left side and everyone advanced one base, cutting the Union lead to 6-4. Minst bunted up the left line and the third baseman threw it away to get Hopper and VanGee home and make it a tie-game. First year first baseman Sofia Camillieri got the go-ahead RBI with a single to score Best.

Casebolt replaced Berryhill in the circle, who had been pitching since the second inning, and retired three straight in both the sixth and seventh innings to get her first save of the year. Berryhill improved to 3-0 on the season, and starter Gabby Slater had a no-decision.


Head coach Rosie Phillips
"We've been working hard on our discipline and selection at the plate and today I think we saw it pay off. We faced a good team and we were able to keep our energy consistent, stay aggressive on offense, and keep the game in our favor even when behind. I'm proud of the team effort we saw today."

Records: St. Lawrence (12-5, 2-0), Union (9-3,0-2)
Up next: The Saints host Ithaca for a doubleheader on April 10^th, game one starting at 2 p.m.