Softball Splits Pair of Games in Florida Wednesday

NAPLES, Fla. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) softball team split a pair of games during penultimate day of the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic in Naples, Fla., Wednesday afternoon. The Blue Jays first defeated Lesley, 7-2, before falling to Westfield State (WSU), 9-1, after six innings. With the results, the Blue Jays move to 3-5 on the year.

USJ 7, LESLEY 2

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a scoreless first inning, the Blue Jays broke open the scoring in the bottom of the second. With runners on the corners, sophomore infielder Emma Carpenter (Brooklyn, Conn.) singled to left, plating freshman catcher Sydney Robison (Clinton, Conn.) to establish a 1-0 lead.
• Three batters later, junior outfielder Izzy Milardo (Middlefield, Conn.) drew a bases-loaded walk, allowing Carpenter to cross home and increase the advantage to 2-0.
• USJ's starting pitcher, sophomore Kaitlyn Ouellette (Wolcott, Conn.) continued her stelar start inside the circle, not allowing a single hit in the opening three frames.
• The Blue Jays rewarded their hurler in the bottom of the third, as freshman Analise Escarraman (Windham, Conn.) ripped a single to center field, scoring classmate Lorraine Cloutier (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and increasing USJ's lead to 3-0.
• Lesley would fire back with a run in the top of the fifth, but USJ quickly responded, when sophomore Avianna Ibrahim (Colchester, Conn.) scored after a wild pitch, increasing the lead back to three, 4-1, after five innings.
• Lesley tacked on another run in the top of the sixth, but USJ answered back with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore infielder Alexis Volinsky (Berwick, Maine) began the scoring run by hitting a ball deep enough into the infield to plate junior shortstop Jenna Zup (Berlin, Conn.).
• Ibrahim followed up the run with a single to the shortstop, plating junior Alyssa Roberts (Naugatuck, Conn.), before Robison was allowed to score from another wild pitch, increasing the Blue Jays lead to 7-2.
• Sophomore pitcher Paige Fekete (Watertown, Conn.), who entered the game in the top of the sixth, set Lesley down in order in the top of the seventh, picking up the save and securing a 7-2 USJ victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ouellette (1-1) picked up the victory, allowing two runs off four hits, and striking out seven batters across 5.0 innings.
• Fekete earned her first save of the season, allowing no runs and no hits in 2.0 innings of work.
• Escarraman paced USJ at the plate, going 2-of-3 with 1 RBI and a triple.
• Robison scored a team high two runs.

USJ 1, WSU 9

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After a scoreless opening two innings, the Owls broke open the deadlock with a five-run bottom of the third, holding a 5-0 edge after three.
• USJ pulled one run back in the top of the fourth as Robison continued her stellar day, launching a single to right field while Volinsky took full advantage of an error by WSU's right fielder, scoring from first and cutting the gap to 5-1.
• However, the deficit proved too much to overcome, as WSU continued to stifle the USJ offense, before winning on a walk-off inside the park home run, 9-1, after six innings.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Escarraman (0-1) saw the start in game two, picking up the loss after giving up six runs, five earned, off seven hits and striking out four batters across 3.1 innings.
• Freshman Jenn Antonowicz (Wolcott, Conn.) threw 2.1 innings in relief, allowing three runs off two hits, and striking out three Owl batters.
• Robison went 2-for-3 at the plate, recording the team's lone RBI.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays wrap up the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic with a pair of games tomorrow, Thursday, March 14 in Naples, Fla. USJ first meets Greenville on the diamond at 9:00 a.m. before rounding out the day against RIT at 11:00 a.m.

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