Turns out all the Saint Martin’s softball team needed to stop a seven-game skid was travel to Bartow, Florida, where the Saints have won four consecutive games in The Spring Games tournament.
The Saints defeated Grand Valley State 6-3 Thursday afternoon and overcame a rain delay to top California University of Pennsylvania 6-1 in the nightcap.
Saint Martin’s, with starter Bridget Johnson in the circle, fell in a hole early as Grand Valley State saw its first three batters reach base in the first inning. An RBI groundout scored the first run, and Kylee Hoebeke drove in two more with a single to center field to give the Lakers a 3-0 advantage.
Saint Martin’s didn’t bat an eye at the 3-0 deficit. Instead, the Saints put six of their first seven batters on base and scored three runs of their own. Kaylee Walker hit her first triple of the season to score Shelby Lawson, and Taylor Oregeles singled to bring Walker home. The game-tying run was provided by Holland Jensen, who singled to left and scored Oregeles.
Elissa Dewees scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the second as Oregeles reached base on a bases-loaded fielder’s choice, and Layla Royle smacked a two-run single to right to extend the lead to 6-3.
Johnson settled in after a tough first inning. Across the next three innings, she allowed just three baserunners due to two walks and an error but forced weak contact to set her defense up to record outs. She finished the day with 82 pitches thrown in 4.2 innings of work, allowing three hits, three runs (one earned), two walks and striking out a pair to earn her sixth win.
The Saints held the Lakers to just three hits, while Saint Martin’s recorded 13 hits, including two each from Heather Ebner, Walker, Royle and Dewees.
In the second game of the doubleheader against California (Pa.), Lawson scored on an error by the Vulcans in the first inning. But the Vulcans tied the game in the second on an RBI single, but starting pitcher Kayla Vaughan left the bases loaded to prevent any further damage.
The Saint Martin’s bats came alive in the third, as Dewees singled off a 2-0 pitch to lead off the frame. With two on and one out, Walker drove in both runs with a single to center, and Oregeles doubled her in to make it 4-1 Saints.
Vaughan cruised through the rest of the game, going the distance for a complete game and striking out five while only surrendering five hits, one run and one walk. The junior righty threw by far his longest outing of the season as she tossed 103 pitches.
Lawson cranked her second home run of the season on a two-run shot to left center in the seventh to help Saint Martin’s cruise to a 6-1 victory.
Walker went 4-8 in the two games, smacking two triples, driving in three runs and scoring two runs.
Saint Martin’s (11-11) will stay in Bartow for the weekend, taking on Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Friday morning and Clarion University in the afternoon.
