Saints Drop Final Two Games In Florida to Mount Union and Allegheny

CLERMONT, Fla. – Emmanuel College Softball (3-6) dropped their final two games at THE Spring Games in Florida on Friday afternoon. In the first matchup, the Saints were edged by Mount Union (9-1), 2-0. A late-inning offensive surge from Allegheny (9-0) powered the Gators past Emmanuel, 5-0, in game two.

Saints Drop Game One, 2-0, to Mount Union

After both sides went down in order in the first inning, it was Mount Union who manufactured a run that would turn out to be the difference. A leadoff walk, bunt single, and sacrifice bunt put runners on the corners for Lydia Brunner (Minerva, Ohio). Brunner got the job done, hitting a ground ball to second base to push a run across for the Purple Raiders.

Abigail Farr (Windsor Locks, Conn.) tallied the Saints' first hit of the day in the bottom half of second inning, but both offenses were suppressed following Mount Union's run. The two sides combined for just one hit in innings three, four, and five to hold the score at 1-0.

In the top of sixth inning, the Purple Raiders looked to extend their edge with Kaitlyn Culver (Girard, Ohio) bunting for a base hit to start the frame. Culver stole second and was later driven in by Kendall Cahill (Grove Port, Ohio) to double the Mount Union lead at 2-0.

Despite a two-out single from Amanda Penney (Warwick, R.I.), the Saints were unable to plate a run in the bottom of the sixth. A hit-by-pitch to begin the bottom of the seventh from Olivia Conti (Cranston, R.I.) put the tying run to the plate. Emma Crisafulli (Loudonville, N.Y.) then laced a hard-hit ball into centerfield and Conti rounded third looking to score on the play, but was called out at home. The next Saints batter popped out to shortstop, concluding a 2-0 victory for Mount Union.

Chloe Bird (Norton, Ohio) earned the win in the circle for Mount Union with three hits allowed and six strikeouts in her complete game shutout. Cahill finished with a hit, run, and RBI in her lone plate appearance of the matchup. Crisafulli, Farr, and Penney were responsible for the three Saints hits.

Late Inning Surge Pushes Allegheny Past Emmanuel, 5-0

The first offensive action of the day came from Allegheny in the bottom of the second inning when Sofia Genareo (Lakewood, N.Y.) legged out an infield single. After a groundout, the Gators followed the base knock with a hit-by-pitch and a walk to load the bases. Saints junior Madison Marks (Edgewater, N.J.) was able to work her way out of the jam, recording the final two outs of the inning via pop out and strikeout.

Emmanuel recorded their first hit in the top of the fourth inning through Amanda Penney's (Warwick, R.I.) single to left field. Taylor Chelak (Westborough, Mass.) worked a walk in the next at-bat of the inning, but the next three Saints went down in order. After four, the teams remained in a 0-0 deadlock.

Three consecutive walks to begin the fifth inning put the Gators in prime position to break the stalemate with the bases loaded and no outs. A groundball to shortstop from Owen Devries (Kent, Ohio) was all it took to drive in the game's first run and give Allegheny a 1-0 edge. The Saints were able to escape the inning without any further damage.

Allegheny grew their lead in the sixth inning by plating four runs, all with two outs. After a double and a walk with one out, Marks recorded the second out with a ground ball. A wild pitch followed by two defensive miscues allowed three Gators runs to cross home plate. Halle Book (Pittsburgh, Pa.) later doubled to add a fifth run for Allegheny. The Saints went down in order in the seventh inning, falling 5-0.

Book finished the matchup reaching base twice through a double and walk while recording an RBI. Samantha Dzierba (Colden, N.Y.) earned the win for the Gators, tossing a complete game one-hitter. Penney finished with the Saints' lone hit of the afternoon. Marks concluded with a final tally of 5.2 IP, allowing just two hits and two earned runs in the loss.

Up Next:

After playing nine games across six days in Florida, the Saints will catch a flight and return to 400 The Fenway for a 13-day break from competition. Emmanuel will take the field again on Thursday, March 21 when they travel to Emerson for a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 4:00 P.M.