LATROBE, Pa. (March 28) – The Saint Vincent softball team rolled to a doubleheader sweep of visiting Franciscan, defeating the Barons 8-2 in the opener before closing the day with a 12-0 win in the nightcap.
Alex Dillner and Jessica LaPorte each went 6-for-7 in the twinbill for Saint Vincent (10-6, 3-1 PAC), with Dillner cracking two home runs and driving in five RBIs and LaPorte hitting a home run, two doubles and five ribbies.
Saint Vincent also saw two pitchers throw complete game victories, with Kylie Meek going the distance in game one and Olivia Bushore firing a five-inning, complete-game one-hitter in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: Saint Vincent 8, Franciscan 2
After Meek stranded a pair of runners in a scoreless top of the first, the Bearcats wasted little time in gaining a lead in the home half, as Olivia Persin drew a leadoff walk and scored on a Dillner double to the left field corner to make it 1-0.
The Bearcats added on in the bottom of the third. Persin again started the rally, this time with a single to left, and scored SVC's second run of the game on a LaPorte double to the gap in left-center. Dillner then followed by smacking her first home run of the afternoon, a no-doubter to left field, to score Laporte and push SVC's lead to 4-0.
The Barons used a triple, walk, and single to score a pair of runs in the top of the fourth, but the Bearcats got them right back in the bottom half, with LaPorte's home run to left-center plating Katelyn Stokan, who drew a leadoff walk, and upping the lead to 6-2.
Saint Vincent closed out the game's scoring in the bottom of the fifth. Haley Bicko walked and Leah Yoder walked to open the inning, before Bicko scored on an RBI groundout from Rachel Mason. Katie Muro then stroked a pinch-hit, RBI single to center to plate Yoder with the Bearcats' eighth run.
The run support was more than enough for Meek, who improved to 4-2 with her fourth compete-game win of the season. The rookie allowed two runs on just five hits and one walk, with seven strikeouts.
Offensively, LaPorte and Dillner led Saint Vincent's 10-hit attack, each going 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Persin, Bicko, Yoder and Muro all had one hit, with Persin, Bicko and Yoder also drawing walks to twice reach base safely.
GAME TWO: Saint Vincent 12, Franciscan 0
In the nightcap, Saint Vincent belted 14 hits in five innings, with nine different players tallying at least one hit, while Bushore threw a gem, facing just two batters over the minimum in the one-hitter.
As was the case in the opener, the Bearcats got off to another hot start, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring four runs in the bottom of the first. With one out, LaPorte and DIllner each singled and would advance 60 feet on a deep fly ball by Allie Prady. LaPorte would scamper home on a passed ball and Dillner on a wild pitch to make it 2-0, before Yoder doubled to center to plate Bicko, who drew a two-out walk. Meghan Braun would follow with a single to center to score Yoder and increase the lead to 4-0.
Saint Vincent made it 5-0 in the bottom of the second on an RBI single from LaPorte, before the Bearcats put it away for good with a seven-run bottom of the fourth.
Persin singled and stole second to open the inning, before scoring on a LaPorte single up the middle, making it 6-0. Dillner then followed with her second long ball of the day, a no-doubter over the fence in left-center, to increase the margin to 8-0. After Prady singled, Olivia Goodwin hit a ground to the right side. During a miscommunication by Franciscan, Prady hustled the whole way from first and came around with the Bearcats' ninth run. Following singles from Braun and Muro, Stokan smacked a double to the fence in center to clear the bases and make it 11-0. Emma Torretti then laced a single to center to plate Stokan with SVC's 12th run.
While the Bearcats continued to add onto the lead, Bushore cruised in the circle. After issuing a first-inning walk, the sophomore retired seven straight batters, until a base-hit bunt to lead off the top of the fourth broke up the no-hitter. Bushore shrugged off the hit to retire the final six batters in order to close out the complete-game, one-hit shutout, in which she struck out four.
All nine SVC starters reached base safely in the win, with Dillner and LaPorte again leading the way, each going 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Braun scored 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored, while Stokan drove in two and scored a run.
Winners of three straight and six of their last eight games, the Bearcats are scheduled to be back in action on Thursday, March 30, hosting La Roche in a 3 p.m. non-conference doubleheader.
