Izzy Melanson's complete game in game one,
Zola Braswell's three hits and two RBI and a walk-off error in game two helped the St. Lawrence University softball team sweep SUNY Poly in their home opening double header.
"We made timely adjustments against good pitching and were able to execute in clutch situations today," said
Rosie Phillips, the Saints' head coach. "Our pitchers battled hard against some strong hitters and we never gave up the fight. These were two great team wins."
They recorded a decisive 6-2 win in game one and took an eight-inning barnburner 6-5 in game two, improving to 10-5 on the season. The Saints continue to roll through non-conference play, now having won eight of their last nine games.
The Saints haven't won eight out of nine games since their Spring Games stretch in 2017, when they won 10 out of 11 games played. That team finished the season 11 games above .500.
Game 1: St. Lawrence 6, SUNY Poly 2
The Saints got on the board first in the bottom half of the third inning to break the deadlock.
Caelen Jahnle stroked a one-out single through the left side before an error by the second baseman allowed
Maeve Thompson to reach as Jahnle moved to third.
Vivian Johnson followed with a double to the left field gap, scoring two. A spectacular diving catch by the Wildcats right fielder and deep popup to the shortstop stranded two Saints runners as they knocked on the door.
Poly responded with one of their own in the top of the fourth as Kimberly Birmingham led the inning off with her second double of the game before a single up the middle by Jadyn Childers cut the lead in half.
St. Lawrence loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the inning thanks to two infield singles and a walk. Johnson would work a full count in the box, then a fastball upstairs brought Braswell home for Johnson's third RBI of the game. That pushed the lead up to 3-1.
After the Wildcats added another in the top of the fifth, the Saints answered with their own in the next half inning.
Meredith Rose led the inning off with a single and moved to second on a well-placed sacrifice bunt by
Sofia Camillieri down the third base line. Braswell continued to stuff the stat sheet as she singled to left field for the Saints fourth run and her lone RBI.
After a leadoff double by SUNY Poly in the top of the sixth, the defense of St. Lawrence held strong to preserve the 4-2 lead.
Izzy Melanson struck out the lead-off batter while the infield, who would not be outdone, turned a 6-4-5 double play, erasing the batter at first and the lead runner at third as she attempted to advance on the throw.
Allison Kloft added two more insurance runs in the bottom of the inning, crushing a double off the left-center wall which scored Thompson and Jahnle.
Thompson, Kloft, Braswell and Jahnle all had two hits for the Scarlet and Brown while Johnson drove in three runs.
Melanson earned the win in the circle for the Saints going the distance allowing just eight hits while striking out four for her second win of the year. Trinity Critelli was handed the loss surrendering 10 hits while striking out five.
Game 2: St. Lawrence 6, SUNY Poly 5 (8 Innings)
The Wildcats would get on the board in the top of the first as the leadoff batter reached on single followed by a walk to the next batter. Birmingham continued her productive day at the plate, roping a double to right-center, scoring one.
A wild pitch on the next windup resulted in another Poly runner crossing the plate. After a pitching change by the Saints, Birmingham would score off a passed ball, taking the lead to 3-0.
The Saints' bats were cold for a short time in the early stages, but that wouldn't last. In the bottom of the fourth, a throwing error followed by two singles by Rose and
Sofia Berryhill loaded the bases for
Layne Fritz who hit into a fielder's choice allowing the first run for the Saints to cross the plate. A single on the next pitch by Braswell scored another as the lead continued to dwindle. Then, Thompson beat out a throw from the shortstop to earn an infield single and an RBI as the Saints pulled into a 3-3 tie.
Neither team would have more than one runner reach base until the top of the seventh when Poly doubled on the second at-bat to put a runner in scoring position. Two batters later Joy Stevens would double again, scoring the runner from second, as the Wildcats would take a 4-3 lead into the last half-inning.
St. Lawrence answered the call in the bottom of the seventh, scoring one. With Kloft on first, Rose ripped a double to the right-field gap bringing Kloft around to score to tie the game and force extra innings.
With a runner starting on second base, SUNY Poly took advantage of a passed ball and groundout to score one and re-take a 5-4 headed to the bottom of the eighth.
St. Lawrence continued to find answers as the afternoon sun faded, determined to gain the sweep as Braswell crushed another double over the center fielder, scoring the tying run for the Saints. With a runner on second
Emily Siansky placed a perfect sacrifice bunt down the third base line allowing Braswell to move to third with two outs.
Faced with a 3-2 count, Jahnle answered the call. She made contact with the ball, placing it just in front of home plate and came up safe thanks to an error by the first baseman, allowing Braswell to score and win the game 6-5.
Braswell led the charge in the nightcap with three hits and two RBI while Rose and Jahnle added two of their own.
Berryhill was awarded the win as the dealer for the Saints, her third of the year, going eight innings, striking out four while allowing eight hits. For the Wildcats, Joy Stevens put in an impressive effort allowing 12 hits and striking out three.
Next up:
The Saints return to action April 6th as they travel to face Route 11 rivals, Clarkson, in a Liberty League doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. in Potsdam, N.Y.
