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Courtwright homers, Sears stuns in relief; Saints softball splits

Posted 3/23/16

First-year Allie Courtwright jacked a two-run game-tying home run, junior Hannah Sears was stellar on the mound in relief and sophomore Emma Reakes drove in the game-winning run in the 8th inning to …

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Courtwright homers, Sears stuns in relief; Saints softball splits

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First-year Allie Courtwright jacked a two-run game-tying home run, junior Hannah Sears was stellar on the mound in relief and sophomore Emma Reakes drove in the game-winning run in the 8th inning to help the Saints to a 5-4 come-from-behind in over Fredonia on Monday.

The Saints ended up splitting the day, as they fell to Southern Maine 7-1 in the second game and remain at .500 at 3-3 heading into Tuesday's off day before six more games in Clermont to finish out the spring break trip.

The win over Fredonia was the Saints third extra-inning game in as many days; they're 3-0 in extra this season.

The Blue Devils scored a run in the first inning and two in the second to open up a 3-0 run on the Saints, but first-year Elle Gray scored on an error by the shortstop in the bottom of the second to cut Fredonia's lead to 3-1.

In the top of the fourth, Fredonia's Kelly Losito doubled to right center to bring in Cassidy Herman and push the lead back three runs at 4-1.

Laura Finley led off the bottom half of the frame with a single to left and Abrianna Schlickenmayer was hit by a pitch to put two aboard. With one out, Gray reached no a fielder's choice as Schlickenmayer was put out at second, but the second baseman threw the ball away trying to turn two, allowing Finley to score to make it 4-2.

In the St. Lawrence half of the fifth, Kelsey Murphy walked to lead it off before Courtwright drilled a no-doubt line drive home run – the first of her career – over the left field fence to tie the game.

Working in relief, Sears – who came in for starter Emma Gailey in the fifth – struck out the side in the sixth and retired the Blue Devils in order in the top of the seventh to help send the game to extras.

In the top of the eigthth with a runner starting on second, Fredonia popped a bunt foul to third baseman Kelsey Murphy for the first out before earning a walk to put two runners on with one out. A wild pitch put runners on second and third, but Sears recorded another strike out and sophomore Kylee Knight tracked down a long fly ball to center

for the final out of the inning, as Fredonia left two on base.

The Saints wasted little time manufacturing the winning run, as Schlickenmayer led off with a sacrifice bunt to move runner Laura Finley to third. Reakes then singled up the middle on the second pitch of her at bat to plate the Buffalo, N.Y. as the game-winning run.

Sears got the win for the Saints, going four innings without allowing a hit and striking out five.

In game two, Southern Maine had built a 2-0 lead before a five-run fifth put them solidly ahead 7-0; scoring runs on a wild pitch, an RBI bases load walk and a pair of errors in the inning.

The Saints answered with one run in the bottom of the frame, as Kylee Knight singled to left to plate Reakes, but that would be all they would get against the Huskies.

Allie Courtwright started game two for St. Lawrence, going four and a third and allowing seven hits and seven runs (six earned) with three strikeouts. Sears also pitched in relief in game two, striking out four and allowing two hits and no runs in two and two-thirds.