WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (March 1)- The Saint Vincent softball team fell in both games of their 2025 season opening double header in Winter Haven, Florida.
 
The Bearcats (0-2) fell to Bluffton by a score of 12-9 in their first game of the day, before falling to Benedictine by a score of 8-0 in their final game of the day.
 
GAME 1- Bluffton 12, SVC 9
In the Bearcats season opener, Saint Vincent found themselves trailing 9-2 after two and a half innings of play. SVC battled back outscoring the Beavers 7-3 the rest of the game, but just fell short in the 12-9 loss.
 
Shayna Perigo led SVC with three hits. Perigo went 3-4 with one run scored. Lily Koller went 2-3 with four RBI's and one run scored as well. Josey Michalski, Alyssa Henderson, and Taylor Williams all totaled one hit each for Saint Vincent.
 
A.J. Arnal took the loss in the circle for SVC, pitching 1.1 innings giving up seven runs (one earned) on just three hits, while striking out two and walking three. Olivia Bushore pitched 3.1 innings for SVC and Madi Zigarovich pitched 2.1 innings for Saint Vincent as well.
 
Bluffton quickly jumped out to a 7-0 lead over the first two innings. In the bottom of the second, the Bearcats got on the board. Koller recorded an RBI walk with the bases loaded and Williams followed with an RBI-fielder's choice to cut the lead to 7-2.
 
The Beavers added two more runs in the third to push their lead back to seven at 9-2. Saint Vincent began to chip away at the lead in the third inning. Koller added two more RBI's on a double to left center and Abby Bauer drove in a run on a groundout, cutting the Bluffton lead to 9-5 heading into the fourth.
 
Bluffton added a run in the fourth and the fifth to take an 11-5 lead. That's when SVC attempted their late comeback. In the bottom of the fifth, Koller hit her second RBI double of the game, scoring April Earnest (11-6). Williams followed with a two-RBI double scoring Koller and Olivia Goodwin as the Bearcats trailed just 11-8.
 
After holding Bluffton scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Bearcats added another run in the bottom of the inning. Alyssa Henderson reached on a fielding error, scoring Michalski for Saint Vincent.
 
In the final inning, Bluffton added an insurance run in the top of the inning to take a 12-9 lead. The Bearcats put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate, but they were stranded as Bluffton handed the Bearcats the loss in the season opener.
 
Saint Vincent scored their nine runs on eight hits, while committing five errors. The Beavers scored their 12 runs on 12 hits, committing three errors.
 
GAME 2- Benedictine 8, SVC 0 (Final/6 Innings)
The Bearcats fell by a score of 8-0 in a run rule shortened contest in their second game of the doubleheader.
 
Through four full innings, Benedictine held just a slight 4-0 lead, before scoring four more in the sixth inning to hand the Bearcats the 8-0 loss.
 
Koller picked up two more hits for Saint Vincent in their finale on the opening day of their spring break trip. Taylor Williams, Macie McHugh, Shayna Perigo, Josey Michalski, and April Earnest all picked up hits for SVC in the loss.
 
Saint Vincent returns to action tomorrow, Monday, March 3 with a doubleheader. SVC will first take on Marian at 9 a.m. and will follow with a matchup against Elizabethtown at 2 p.m. in Winter Haven