STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (April 10) – The Saint Vincent softball team improved to 6-2 in the Presidents' Athletic Conference with a doubleheader sweep on the road over Franciscan University.
In the opener, the Saint Vincent (14-8, 6-2 PAC) bats exploded for a 16-0, five-inning victory, before the nightcap saw SVC jump out to another early lead and then add on some late insurance in an 8-3 win.
GAME ONE: Saint Vincent 16, Franciscan 0 (5 innings)
In the opener, eight different Bearcats recorded at least one hit, while three Saint Vincent hurlers combined for the three-hit shutout.
Starting pitcher
Haley Bicko earned the win in the circle, allowing just one hit in three innings of work with four strikeouts, while she also led the SVC charge at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double and four RBIs.
Bicko was one of four Saint Vincent players to record a mult-hit game.
Mackenzie Favero went 2-for-2 with a walk, stolen base, and two runs scored;
Alyssa Henderson went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs; and
Leah Yoder went 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored.
Along with their 12-hit attack, the Saint Vincent batters also combined to draw nine walks.
The Bearcats promptly jumped out to a 2-0 lead before recording an out in the top of the first inning. Favero and
Olivia Persin opened the game with back-to-back singles, before
Jessica LaPorte walked to load the bases. Henderson followed with an RBI double to left to plate Favero and Persin, and two batters later, Bicko produced an RBI groundout to bring home LaPorte with the third run of the inning.
The Bearcats broke the game wide open in the top of the second, sending 12 batters to the plate to score seven runs on four hits, while also taking advantage of three Franciscan errors. Yoder and Bicko each smacked RBI doubles in the frame, while McConnell produced a run-scoring single.
Saint Vincent extended its lead in the top of the third. Henderson opened the inning with a single and
Shayna Perigo walked, before Yoder singled to lead the bases. Bicko followed with a single up the middle to plate Perigo and Henderson and grow the lead to 12-0.
The Bearcats loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fourth, as
Meghan Braun walked,
Katie Lampe was hit by a pitch, and
Olivia Goodwin walked. A groundball fielder's choice off the bat of
Anita Szymoniak brought home Braun with SVC's 13th run before
Jackie Brace drew a bases-loaded free pass to plate Lampe.
Shelby Dobrzynski then followed with SVC's only hit of the long inning with a two-run single to center to make it 16-0.
While the Bearcat bats continued to add onto the lead, the pitching staff was nearly flawless. Bicko yielded only one baserunner on a two-out single in the bottom of the third, while Brace pitched around a leadoff error in the fourth to record three straight groundouts. Kylie Meek then came on to close the game out in the bottom of the fifth with three strikeouts.
GAME TWO: Saint Vincent 8, Franciscan 3
The Saint Vincent offense stayed hot in the nightcap, as the Bearcats tallied 13 hits, including four for extra bases. Two players recorded three hits, as Favero went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases and LaPorte 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored. Yoder went 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored, while
Kendall McConnell went 2-for-4 with a double and run scored.
Olivia Bushore earned her fourth win of the season in the circle, going the distance and allowing three runs on six hits with six strikeouts.
The Bearcats opened the scoring with two outs in the top of the first, as LaPorte smacked an RBI single and then scored on a double by Henderson.
Saint Vincent added another run in the top of the second, as Yoder walked to lead off and then scored on a double by McConnell, before the Bearcats continued to add on in the top of the fourth.
McConnell and Favero singled to open the inning, before an RBI groundout by Persin brought McConnell home with SVC's third run. LaPorte promptly followed with a single up the middle to plate Favero and make it 5-0.
The Bearcats held on to the five-run lead until the bottom of the sixth, when Franciscan broke through with three runs on four hits to cut it to 5-3.
Saint Vincent would then pull away with three runs in the top of the seventh. With one out, Perigo walked, before Yoder's triple to center made it 6-3.
Zoe Mangan then followed with an RBI single before giving way to pinch runner
Lily Rush, who scored SVC's final run of the day on a two-out single from Bicko.
The Bearcats are scheduled to return to action on Saturday, April 13, hosting PAC foe Westminster in a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Latrobe.
