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Saints softball finish 2015 with sweep of Elmira

Posted 4/29/15

In the most fitting of endings, senior shortstop Aisha O'Connor caught a line drive at short and threw to classmate Brady Cooper at first base to complete a game-ending double play and help the …

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Saints softball finish 2015 with sweep of Elmira

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In the most fitting of endings, senior shortstop Aisha O'Connor caught a line drive at short and threw to classmate Brady Cooper at first base to complete a game-ending double play and help the Saints sweep Elmira in the season finale. The other senior in the equation was pitcher Kyle Plimpton, who earned a complete game 9-2 win in game one and was the pitcher of record in the Saints 3-1 game two victory after coming in in relief.

The Saints scored a combined six runs through the first two innings of the game one; scoring four in the bottom of the second behind five hits, including a double by sophomore Carly Dziekan to lead off the frame. Cooper, O'Connor, Kelsey Murphy and Emma Reakes each followed with singles, while Laura Finley and Jacquleline Dufour also earned walked to keep the inning alive.

After the Soaring Eagles plated two on a two-RBI single to right by Ashley Palmer in the top of the fourth inning, Plimpton struck out the side to send the Saints to the plate in front 6-2.

O'Connor led off the inning with a bunt single to third base and Laura Finley earned her second walk of the afternoon to put two aboard for Murphy. The Bedford, N.H. native's single to left center scored O'Connor and sent Finley to third. With runners on the corners, Reakes ripped a double down the left field line to clear the bases and tack on two more runs for a 9-2 Saints lead; she was thrown out advancing to third. She and Murphy led the Saints with three RBI each in the contest.

The Soaring Eagles went down in order the next two innings and managed just one more hit off of Plimpton in the game. The Buffalo, N.Y. native finished with 12 strikeouts and allowed just four hits and two earned runs in her 12th win of the season.

In game two, the team's traded RBI bunt singles in the third inning to make it 1-1, which is how it would stay until the Saints broke through in the bottom of the sixth.

With two outs in the inning, Kelsey Murphy walked to put a runner aboard for fellow first-year Emma Reakes. Reakes hit a bloop single to short right field, but was then mishandled by the second baseman, allowing Murphy to come around all the way from first as the game-winning run and Reakes to advance to second.

Jacqueline Dufour drove in Reakes with a single to left field for the Saints third run of the game and final run of the season.

First-year Emma Gailey got the start in the circle in game two and was effective through four innings; allowing one run on five hits and striking out three. Plimpton came on in relief in the fifth inning with a runner on base and no one out and allowed just two hits while recording three strikeouts of her own in three innings of work.

Plimpton finishes her career at the top of almost every program pitching record including wins in a season, shutouts in a season, saves in a season, innings pitched in a season, appearances in a season, career wins, career shutouts, career saves, and innings pitched over a career. She will also leave as the leader in single season strikeouts with 219 and has shattered the career strikeouts record with over 750 total strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Cooper was a staple in the St. Lawrence infield for the past two seasons, having started every game in both 2014 and 2015. O'Connor finishes her senior season with a .402 batting average and holds the program record for most hits in a single season.

The Saints finish the 2015 campaign with an overall record 15-13.