Marina Juan drove in three runs,
Marleigh Monroe dealt a career-high 12 strikeouts, and the St. Lawrence University softball team held off a late Skidmore charge to win the Liberty League play-in game 6-4. They then dropped the first game of the double elimination bracket 10-1 to top-seeded Rochester in the second game of the day on Thursday.
The win is the Saints' first playoff victory since 2012 against Union in that iteration of the Liberty League tournament 14 seasons ago.
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Play-In Game: #5 St. Lawrence 6, #4 Skidmore 4
Skidmore plated the first runs of the game in the first inning, when Sam Waters reached after a dropped third strike, stole second and third, then was driven in by a Lulu Mickle RBI knock. The Thoroughbreds added an additional run to make it 2-0.
The Saints, however, came up with a crucial response in the subsequent half-inning in the form of a two-run round-tripper from Juan, evening the score at 2-2. Monroe followed that up with a single, then moved to second on a groundout before
Emily Wendt brought her around on an RBI single up the middle.
Monroe continued to rule the circle from that point on, keeping St. Lawrence clinging to a 3-2 lead until the bottom of the fifth. That's when Thoroughbreds pitcher Natalie Maybe stepped up to the dish and launched a solo shot to straightway center, tying the game at 3-3 in a clutch display of power.
That put the ball in St. Lawrence's court, and they were able to seize the opportunity. Former Thoroughbred
Isabel Moreno doubled in the leadoff spot, and
Leah VerSchneider followed it up with a single to put runners on the corners. Juan added her third RBI of the game on a sacrifice fly to pull the Scarlet and Brown ahead 4-3.
St. Lawrence needed some insurance in the top of the seventh, they got it. They sent two runners in scoring position with nobody out, then
Caelen Jahnle chopped one to the left side, leading to an RBI groundout and a 5-3 Saints lead. Kloft then reached on an error, scoring a run and chalking up an RBI to give SLU a three-run lead. Â
Skidmore cut the lead to two in the seventh and threatened with two runners on and one out, and the go-ahead run at the dish, but Mayne lined into a game-ending unassisted twin-killer by
Allison Kloft to wrap up the milestone playoff win.
Juan led the Saints going 1-for-2 with a run scored and three RBIs, while Moreno went 2-for-3. Jahnle went 2-for-4 with the crucial insurance RBI, and VerSchneider went 2-for-4.
Monroe's final line was four runs on eight hits without allowing a walk and striking out 12.
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Double Elimination Game 1: #5 St. Lawrence 1, #1 Rochester 10 (5 Innings)
Rochester jumped out to a three-run lead in the first inning on a pair of RBI hits, with Riley Laygo and Jensen Sminchak each driving in runs against Saints starter
Izzy Melanson.
The Saints responded in the second, when
Leah VerSchneider reached on a fielding error and
Marina Juan followed with a double to right field.
Emily Siansky grounded out to first, but the play drove home VerSchneider to make it 7-1.
Rochester tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the second, including a two-RBI single from Sminchak, to extend the advantage to 7-1. The Yellowjackets added a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Marie Kinchington, then capped the scoring with a two-run home run by Laygo in the fifth.
Marina Juan went 2-for-2 with a double to pace the Saints offensively. St. Lawrence was held to two hits on the day against Rochester starter Molly Broccolo, who tossed four innings before giving way to Maddie White.
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Up Next:
St. Lawrence now awaits the loser of the Ithaca-Rensselaer contest to play the first elimination game of the Liberty League's double elimination tournament format, scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
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