Saints Beat Wittenberg Via Marks' Shutout in Game One, Fall to Westminster (PA) in Game Two

CLERMONT, Fla. – Saints Softball (3-4) earned a win over Wittenberg (6-5) but fell to Westminster (PA) (3-4) in a doubleheader at THE Spring Games in Florida on Thursday. In game one, Emmanuel rode a shutout pitching performance from Madison Marks (Edgewater Park, N.J.) to a 3-0 victory. A fifth inning offensive surge from Westminster (PA) was enough to down the Saints, 8-5, in the second game of the day.

Marks Tosses Complete Game Shutout in 3-0 Defeat of Wittenberg

Marks got off to a dominant start in the circle for the Saints, remaining perfect with four strikeouts in the first two innings. It was Mia Fernandes (Taunton, Mass.) who reached base on a walk to put Emmanuel in business with no outs in the bottom of the second.

Back-to-back singles from Abigail Farr (Windsor Locks, Conn.) and MeKayla Poisson (Peabody, Mass.) juiced the bases for the Saints following Fernandes' walk. Madeline Parrish (Andover, Mass.) then watched four balls go by to push the difference-making run across. The Saints tacked on another run through a sacrifice fly later in the inning to hold a 2-0 edge through two.

Harper Crews (Ypsilanti, Mich.) notched the first Wittenberg hit of the day in the third inning with a single through the right side. The Tigers added a second single in the inning but were unable to get on the board. Three hits in the fourth inning opened an opportunity to cut into the Emmanuel lead, but once again, Marks worked out of the jam, concluding the inning with a strikeout.

After Parrish reached first on a third-strike wild pitch, Christyna Winstead (Uncasville, Conn.) legged out an infield single. Parrish looked to score later in the inning but was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice. The next Saints batter, Taylor Chelak (Westborough, Mass.), also grounded into a fielder's choice, but Winstead beat the throw to the plate to give Emmanuel a 3-0 advantage after four innings.

Marks went on to continue her shutout over the final three innings, allowing just two hits for the remainder of the matchup to conclude an early Thursday morning 3-0 victory for the Saints over Wittenberg.

Marks was credited with her first career win with a complete game, seven-hit, eight-strikeout shutout victory. Farr led the Saints at the plate with a 3/3 day that included a double and a run scored. Chelak, Parrish, and Winstead were each responsible for an RBI in the win. Hanna Ecker (Heath, Ohio) contributed two hits for the Tigers in the loss.

Six-Run Fifth Powers Titans Past Saints, 8-5

After the Saints left two runners on base in the top of the first inning, Faith Jones (Volant, Pa.) got the Titans offense going with a base hit. Emmanuel recorded outs on the next two batters through a strikeout and a fielder's choice and looked to be avoiding any first inning damage. Mackenzie Latess (New Castle, Pa.) had a different idea, however, as she drove a deep ball over the left field fence to give the Titans a 2-0 lead.

Emmanuel was unable to plate a run over the first three innings despite plenty of scoring opportunities. The Saints left seven runners on base over the first nine outs, including leaving the bases loaded in the third inning. Mia Fernandes (Taunton, Mass.) walked and stole second, getting the Saints on the board in the top of the fourth through a Westminster error and cutting the deficit to one through four innings.

It was Latess, again, who drove in two runs through a double in the bottom of the fifth inning to begin a Titans rally. Westminster used five consecutive singles to post a six-run inning and take a commanding 8-1 lead into the sixth inning. Madison Marks (Edgewater, N.J.), who entered the game in relief, got the Saints out of the inning with back-to-back strikeouts.

The Saints refused to go away quietly and used five consecutive singles of their own to claw back into the contest. Emma Crisafulli (Loudonville, N.Y.) singled to center with the bases loaded to score the first run of the inning followed by an Alexis Martineau (Merrimack, N.H.) two-RBI base knock to bring the Saints within four. Sammy Hayes pushed across the fifth Emmanuel run of the matchup with a groundout to third before a flyout ended the inning with the score 8-5.

Latess tripled in the bottom of the sixth, but the Titans were unable to add to their advantage. Emmanuel went down in order in the top of the seventh inning, falling to Westminster, 8-5, in their second game of the day.

Latess nearly hit for the cycle, posting a double, triple, and homerun to go along with four RBIs for the Titans. Madison Brown (Lisbon, Ohio) earned the win, going 4.0 innings with eight strikeouts. Martineau went 1/3 with two RBIs while Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) and Amanda Penney (Warwick, R.I.) chipped in two hits apiece for the Saints in the loss.

Up Next:

The Saints will finish up their trip in Florida on Friday (3/7) in a return to the Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont with matchups scheduled against Mount Union at 1:45 P.M. and Allegheny at 4:15 P.M.