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Saints softball drops pair at Middlebury

Posted 4/20/16

The Middlebury softball team erased St. Lawrence leads in both games of a nonconference doubleheader in Vermont on Tuesday afternoon, as the Panthers edged the Saints 9-7 and 6-5 en route to the …

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Saints softball drops pair at Middlebury

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The Middlebury softball team erased St. Lawrence leads in both games of a nonconference doubleheader in Vermont on Tuesday afternoon, as the Panthers edged the Saints 9-7 and 6-5 en route to the sweep.

Mylea Mann led the Saints with a combined five hits and five runs scored with one RBI on the afternoon, while Allie Courtwright had a team-high five RBI through two games.

Sophomore Emma Reakes hit her first homerun of the season in the first game which pulled the Saints even at 7-7 in the 5th inning, but Middlebury scored a run in each of the next two to take the win.

St. Lawrence had a 5-0 lead in the first game through three innings as a throwing error by Middlebury in the first allowed Kylee Knight to score as the Saints first run and first-year Allie Courtwright hit a two-RBI single to left in the same frame to extend the lead to 3-0.

In the third, an RBI single by Abrianna Schlickenmayer plated Mann and another hit by Courtwright – this time a double to right center – brought the Yucca Valley, Calif. native around to score as the Saints fifth run.

But the Panthers hit two home runs in the bottom of the third inning off starter Hannah Sears to completely erase the St. Lawrence lead. Sears left the game after two and two-thirds, allowing five runs on six hits with an impressive six strikeouts despite limited innings. She was relieved by sophomore Emma Gailey who took the loss, as she allowed four runs on six hits with a pair of strikeouts in three in a third innings.

After Middlebury took a 7-5 lead with a pair of RBI doubles in the bottom of the fourth, Reakes pulled her team even in the top of the fifth with two-run home run to left center plating Mann, who had reached on an error by the centerfielder.

The Panthers responded with a run in the bottom of the fifth and another in the sixth to earn the 9-7 win.

In game two, the Saints once again jumped out to an early lead with a three-run first inning as Knight and Elle Gray reach on back-to-back errors to lead off the game and Mylea Mann singled to load the bases.

Knight came around to score on a wild pitch and Schlickenmayer hit an RBI single down the left field line to extend the lead to 2-0. Mann scored the third St. Lawrence run on an RBI single by Courtwright in the next at bat for the Saints to conclude the scoring in the inning.

Middlebury got one back in the bottom of the first inning on a wild pitch, but St. Lawrence pushed the lead back to three runs in the top of the second on an RBI single by Gray.

The Panthers answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third to make it 4-3 in favor of St. Lawrence before another single-run for the Saints and another RBI single by Allie Courtwright in the fifth made it 5-3.

However, Middlebury scored three in the bottom of the fifth to take its first lead of the game and push to the eventual 6-5 margin, with the winning run scoring on a two-RBI single to right center.

Courtwright was the pitcher of record for St. Lawrence, allowing six runs on ten hits while recording four strikeouts. Emma Gailey also made an appearance in relief for an inning and a third and did not allow a hit.

The Saints, now 10-17 on the year, have a weekend off from Liberty League play and will travel to Alfred on Sunday for another nonconference doubleheader.