X

Knights split first Florida softball twinbill

Posted 3/17/18

Leesburg, FL – Escaping the snow in northern New York, the Clarkson University Softball team split its first doubleheader in sun-soaked Florida, downing Gordon College 12-3 in the opener but …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Knights split first Florida softball twinbill

Posted

Leesburg, FL – Escaping the snow in northern New York, the Clarkson University Softball team split its first doubleheader in sun-soaked Florida, downing Gordon College 12-3 in the opener but falling to Endicott College 7-3 in game two on Friday afternoon.

The Golden Knights moved to 1-5 on the season. Clarkson will face Babson College and Tufts University on Saturday.

Barely getting the ball out of the infield, Clarkson was able to score four runs in the bottom half of the first against Gordon College. The rally began harmlessly enough when Bridget Woolley drew a two-out, four-pitch walk. Michele Winn then reached on a fielder's choice and Liz Caggiano reached on an infield single. Kyrstin Messier then forced home a run with a bases loaded walk and Hannah Isaacson reached on an error by the pitcher to score another run and keep the bases juiced. Riley LeBourveau forced in another run on a full-count walk before Danielle Whitham singled between the first and second basemen to make it 4-0.

The Fighting Scots scored a run in both the top of the second (bases loaded walk) and third (sacrifice fly) to cut the lead in half, but Clarkson tacked on five run in the bottom of the fourth. Caggiano singled home Woolley and Messier drove in a run on a groundout to make it 6-2. Isaacson singled up the middle to plate another run and scored on a passed ball later in the inning. Whitham then drove in another run with a single up the middle, sending LeBourveau around.

Gordon responded with a run in the top of the fifth, but Clarkson matched that offense with back-to-back doubles in the bottom half of the frame from Woolley and Winn. In the sixth, Clarkson closed out the game with two runs as Woolley drove home both Whitham and Summer Lancette.

Caggiano went 4-for-4 with a run scored and another driven in, while Woolley went 3-for-4 with three runs and two runs batted in. Whitham also drove in two runs, going 3-for-4, and Isaacson notched two hits in four at bats. Leah Allen gained the win by going five strong innings, striking out seven, and Maggie Stark tossed a scoreless sixth inning.

In game two, the Golden Knights rallied from a three-run deficit in the early inning, but watched the Gulls plate three in the bottom half of the fifth to gain the win.

Kayla Sheldon led off the bottom of the first with a double and came around two batters later when Jamie Hopgood doubled to left-center. In the bottom of the second, the Gulls scored two more thanks to three straight singles, with the third by Hannah Llewellyn scoring the second run. Peyton Atkins then drove in another run with a sacrifice fly.

Clarkson scored twice in the top of third to pull within one, getting its first run on a solo home run from Summer Lancette and its second run on a Liz Caggiano ground out, which scored Bridget Wooley after she reached on a walk and moved to third on a double from Michele Winn. In the top of the fifth, Hannah Bowen doubled to left, moved up to third on a Bridget Wooley infield single and then scored on a ground out from Winn.

However, Endicott would score three times in the bottom of the fifth. Adrianna Favreau pushed home a run on a bases loaded single, Hayley Adruini drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Olivia Odermatt singled home a third run. The Gulls would tack on an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth for the final tally of the game.

Hannah Bowen went 3-for-4 while both Bridget Woolley and Kat Plescow each went 2-for-3. For Endicott, Hopgood was 3-for-4 and Odermatt was 3-for-3.