KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The Washington & Jefferson College softball team (1-3) dropped two tight contests on day two of The Spring Games in Kissimmee, Florida. The team fell 5-2 to the St. Scholastica Saints (1-4) in game one and 3-1 to the North Park Vikings (4-2) in game two.
W&J 2, St. Scholastica 5
Senior
Hannah Allen (Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford) led the way for the Presidents, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI at the plate. Allen successfully recorded her 100
th career hit in today's contest against the Saints.
The Saints got themselves on the board early from a single and a sacrifice bunt to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. W&J settled in and defensively followed with two scoreless innings. In the fourth and fifth innings, W&J found their two runs offensively. Singles from Allen and
Deanna Gratton (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) helped set up freshman
Bella Stewart (New Kensington, Pa./Burrell) to record her first collegiate hit and RBI in the fourth. Allen drove in a double from fellow senior
Julia DiPietro-Harvey (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) to give W&J a 2-1 lead.
St. Scholastica took the lead back and the overall win with four runs in the top of the sixth to take a 5-2 victory.
Freshman
Haylee Young (Zanesville, Ohio/John Glenn) got the start and threw two strikeouts in 1.1 innings. Freshman
Braelyn Altman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) and senior
Kaylee Witner (Freeland, Pa./MMI Preparatory School) came in relief. Altman threw 3.2 innings and recorded six strikeouts. Witner had one strikeout in 2.0 innings pitched.
W&J 1, North Park 3
The defense was on display in the second game of the afternoon. Both teams traded a run in the second inning to keep the game deadlocked. W&J forced two walks at the plate to help sophomore
Anna Luxenberger (Montoursville, Pa./Loyalsock Township) score off an error by the Vikings.
The Presidents' defense, led by sophomore
Macayle Thornhill (Warren, Ohio/Jackson-Milton) in the circle, held North Park to three scoreless innings. W&J had two 1-2-3 frames in the fourth and fifth innings.
The Vikings found their way through in the sixth to secure the two winning runs.
Thornhill threw 6.0 complete innings in the contest. The sophomore had two strikeouts. Thornhill forced seven flyouts and eight groundouts by the Presidents' defense.
W&J returns for day three of The Spring Games. The Presidents will take on the Wheaton (Mass.) Lyons at 10:15 a.m. and the Russell Sage Gators at 12:30 p.m. Both games will be at the Fortune Road Athletic Complex in Kissimmee.