Allison Kloft had the 100
th hit of her career, as the St. Lawrence University softball team hit a series of milestones over their two dominant wins to wrap their trip to THE Spring Games in Clermont, Fla.
They began the day with their fourth win of the weekend, 9-1 in five innings against Lawrence, and followed it up with a 20-0 rout of North Central (Minn.) in game two for their largest margin of victory since 2022.
Kloft had four hits on the day to lead the Saints on her landmark day, but the Saints got a ton of other offense over both games.
Caelen Jahnle and
Isabel Moreno both had three hits, with Jahnle registering a team-high four RBIs and an inside-the-park home run in game two, while
Emily Wendt also added an inside-the-parker.
Chloe Fontaine and
Maggie Fay both had their first collegiate knocks in the North Central game.
"Today was a great way to end our trip," said Saints head coach
Tyler Pagaduan. "I'm very proud of this group, and I can't wait to get back up north to see what we are capable of."
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Game 1: Lawrence 1, St. Lawrence 9 (5 Inn.)
Despite the lopsided score in favor of SLU, it was Lawrence who got on the board first after Zoe Doherty tripled into the right-center gap to lead the game off. She got driven in later in the inning, via a Gillian Guerriero RBI infield single and it was 1-0 Vikings.
St. Lawrence got their runs back in the bottom half of the opening frame, after Jahnle and Kloft got on base and swiped second and third respectively. Jahnle scored on a wild pitch to tie the game up, the
Leah VerSchneider scored both Kloft and Moreno with a two-run single and made it 3-1 St. Lawrence – a lead they would not relinquish.
The Scarlet and Brown enjoyed another three-run inning in the third, when starting pitcher
Marleigh Monroe helped herself with an RBI infield single on a hard-hit grounder to third that scored Moreno. Wendt and Jahnle then added two more runs via RBI walks to put SLU up 6-1.
After the Saints made it 7-1 in the fourth, they'd end the game via the eight-run rule in the bottom of the fifth following RBI singles from Kloft and VerSchneider.
VerSchneider's three RBIs were a Saints team high. Moreno, Monroe and
Maeve Thompson also registered multi-hit days. In the circle, Monroe allowed just one earned run over a complete game effort, including two hits, three walks and eight strikeouts.
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Game 2: St. Lawrence 20, North Central (Minn.) 0 (5 Inn.)
St. Lawrence wasted no time getting on the board, plating eight in the first.
Olivia Caporale,
Layne Fritz, and
Emily Crain all hard RBI knocks, with Caporale's being a two-run double. Then, with two runners on, Wendt cleared the bases with an inside-the-park home run into the right field corner.
The Scarlet and Brown cruised from there, not needing to worry about responding to any North Central offense. Saints starting pitcher
Madison Smith held the Rams both scoreless and hitless through her four innings of work, as the first-year hurler dealt to keep a goose egg on the scoreboard for the home team.
St. Lawrence's next offense came in the third, when
Quinn Jerome singled home Crain and Kloft brought Jerome around later in the inning. Wendt also scored on a fielding error in the frame. Those three Saints runs made it 11-0.
Kloft's historic hit came in the fourth, with the score at 13-0. She sent a towering fly ball to left-center, bringing Jahnle home from second for hit No. 100, getting daps from her Saints teammates upon her return to the dugout later in the inning. That made it 14-0.
The Saints had six more runs late in the contest, including Jahnle's inside-the-parker and a first-career RBI for Fay, then
Izzy Melanson came in to pitch and shut the door to keep the Saints' shutout in tact.
St. Lawrence had production from across the lineup, with nearly all players getting on base and 17 total hits. Jahnle led the way with four RBIs and went three-for-five.
Abby Gallas had an efficient day in the cleanup spot, going three-for-four with an RBI. Wendt's homer gave her three RBIs, and she and Jahnle each had three runs scored.
Zoe Davenport led the team in that category with four runs scored, also tallying three base on balls.
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Up Next:
That wraps up the Saints' spring break trip to Clermont, Fla., but they won't have to wait a great deal of time before returning to the diamond. They head to Clarkson on Saturday, April 4 for a Liberty League-opening twin bill against the Golden Knights.Â
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