Saints Split Day Two in Florida, Defeat Bluffton 13-5 (F/6), Fall to Saint Mary's (Minn.)

CLERMONT, Fla. – An offensive surge in the fifth inning of game one earned Saints Softball (2-1) a 13-5 (F/6) victory over Bluffton (0-3) to start day two of Emmanuel's trip to THE Spring Games in Florida on Monday. In game two, Saint Mary's of Minnesota (9-1) handed the Saints their first loss of the season in a high-scoring affair that concluded 17-9 (F/6).

Offensive Surge Sees Saints Past Bluffton, 13-5 (F/6)

Bluffton got the scoring started early when Julia Tegeder (Hamilton, Ohio) dropped a two-out single into left field to knock in the Beavers' first run of the game in the first inning. Emmanuel responded in the bottom of the second through Mia Fernandes (Taunton, Mass.), who got the Saints on the board with an RBI single and her first career hit. The Saints added a second run in the inning to hold a 2-1 advantage as the two sides headed into the third inning.

Kaylee Grant (Lima, Ohio) was able to work a walk to begin the third. An Emily Hope (Enon, Ohio) base hit up the middle scored Grant, tying the game at two. Another walk for the Beavers with two outs and the bases loaded gave Bluffton a 3-2 lead. In the fourth inning, the Beavers added another run to extend their lead to 4-2.

The Saints came up empty handed in the bottom of the fourth, stranding runners on second and third, but exploded for six fifth inning runs to open up a four-run lead. After Abigail Farr (Windsor Locks, Conn.) walked with the bases full to bring the Saints within one, Amanda Penney (Warwick, R.I.) laced a two-RBI single into center field, giving Emmanuel the lead. Taylor Chelak (Westborough, Mass.) got in on the action with a two-RBI single of her own followed by a triple deep down the right field line from Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) to put Emmanuel up 8-4.

Bluffton was able to cut the lead to three in the top of the sixth, but the Saints added five more runs in the bottom half of the inning to improve to 2-0 with a 13-5 run-rule victory over the Beavers.

Grant tallied two hits and four runs scored while Hope added a pair of singles in the loss for the Beavers. Penney led the way for the Saints, tallying three hits, a walk, three RBIs, and two runs scored. Chelak finished the day 2/3 with two walks, also adding in three RBIs and two runs scored. Conti continued her hot start to the season with a three-hit day that included a triple to go along with a pair of RBIs. Mackenzie Briggs (West Warwick, R.I.) earned the win in the circle, going 2.2 innings in relief and allowing just one earned run. 

Saint Mary's (Minn.) Hands Saints First Loss, 17-9

An offensive onslaught in the bottom of the first opened up a significant edge for the Cardinals to begin the matchup. Ali French's (Winona, Minn.) groundout to second base scored Mikayla Steffes (Winona, Minn.), who singled from the leadoff position, to start the inning's scoring. The Saint Mary's offensive rush continued with a double from Heather Nordlund (Byron, Minn.) and a triple from Lizzie Pike (Rochester, Minn.). The Cardinals tallied seven first-inning hits to take an 8-0 lead into the second.

The Saints responded with an equally potent offensive charge in the top of the second inning. Emma Crisafulli (Loudonville, N.Y). singled to start the inning and was later driven in by Sammy Hayes (Braintree, Mass.) to get the Saints on the board. The Saints continued to claw their way back into the game and an Alexis Martineau (Merrimack, N.H.) two-out, two-RBI single leveled the game at eight. The Saints recorded eight hits in the inning in their effort to reach a deadlock with the Cardinals.

A Breonna Methner (Woodbury, Minn.) RBI single in the bottom of the third inning allowed the Cardinals to regain their lead, 9-8. Saint Mary's tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning before French launched a two-run homerun to extend the lead to 14-8.

Emmanuel added a run to their tally in the top of the sixth, but a run in the fifth and two in the sixth from Saint Mary's saw the Saints fall to the Cardinals, 17-9, by run-rule.

Penney and Hayes each contributed two hits while Conti and Martineau added two RBIs apiece for the Saints in the loss. Steffes finished the day 4/4 with a walk and four RBIs, along with a two-run homerun to lead the Cardinals. French added three hits and four RBIs while Izzy Griffin (West St. Paul, Minn.) earned the win, throwing 4.0 shutout innings in relief.

Up Next:

The Saints will have an off day tomorrow before facing off with the number one team in the nation, Trine, at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday (3/6) followed by Penn State Brandywine at 12:30 P.M in Leesburg, Florida at Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex.