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Saints split softball with regionally-ranked #3 Elmira

Posted 4/24/13

Senior Chelsea Cavellier's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh gave the St. Lawrence University softball team a 2-1 victory over regionally-ranked #3 Elmira College in game one of Tuesday's …

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Saints split softball with regionally-ranked #3 Elmira

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Senior Chelsea Cavellier's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh gave the St. Lawrence University softball team a 2-1 victory over regionally-ranked #3 Elmira College in game one of Tuesday's doubleheader. The Soaring Eagles (19-9) rebounded to take the nightcap by the score of 6-0 behind a solid pitching performance from senior Katie Hobson. The Saints, led offensively by Elizabeth McGinley and Natasha Bell's three hits apiece on the day, move to 16-14 overall and will take on the ‘Roos at SUNY Canton in a single game on Friday afternoon.

Kyle Plimpton improved to 8-7 on the season as she picked up the complete-game victory in the opener. The Williamsville, NY native allowed no earned runs on four hits while striking out five and walking three. Her counterpart, Alex Puglisi, suffered the loss for Elmira as she gave up seven hits while striking out four and walking two.

Bell, McGinley and Rebecca Allen each had two hits in game one for the Saints, while Cavellier added an RBI and a run scored. Krystal Bupp led Elmira with a run and a hit, while three other players recorded hits for the Soaring Eagles.

In game one, Plimpton and Puglisi kept the base runners to a minimum through four innings of work before Elmira scored the game's first run in the fifth. Bupp led off with a single and would move to third base on Mikayla Bean's base hit that ricocheted off Plimpton. The Soaring Eagles would capitalize on a defensive miscue in the outfield that allowed Bupp to score an unearned run off the bat of Alex Andrade, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead.

St. Lawrence had runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth, but Puglisi pitched out of the jam. The Saints, however, finally broke through in the sixth inning as Cavellier came around to score on McGinley's double to right-center. The home team seemed poised to take the lead as it loaded the bases with one out, but Puglisi forced a fly out and then snagged a line drive to keep the score tied heading into the seventh inning.

Plimpton and the Saints kept the Soaring Eagles scoreless in the top of the inning, and then Bell blooped a one-out single behind the shortstop in the bottom of the seventh to put the winning run on base. After Puglisi forced a pop-up, Bell would move to third base on two passed balls, which set the stage for Cavellier's RBI single that gave the Saints the walk-off victory.

In Tuesday's nightcap, Hobson earned the win on the mound for Elmira as she scattered three hits while walking three and striking out four. Meanwhile, the Soaring Eagles offense chased McGinley from the game after 2.1 innings as they scored five runs off three hits. Plimpton re-entered in the second game, giving up four hits while striking out two.

Elmira opening its scoring when Hobson came around to score on Dore's triple to right-center in the second inning. Dore looked to add to her team's lead on Bean's fly out on the next at-bat, but a perfect throw from St. Lawrence's leftfielder Cailyn Welsh allowed Cavellier to tag her out at home plate to end the inning and keep the damage to a minimum.

St. Lawrence's defense couldn't be so lucky in the third inning, as Elmira erupted for five runs on four hits to stretch its advantage to six runs. Julianne Heggie singled, stole second base, and then beat the throw to third base on Jacqueline Heggie's fielder's choice. With runners on the corners, Bupp beat out the throw on a bunt and then stole second base while Heggie scored on the play.

After two runs scored off a fielding error on Andrade's at bat, Plimpton re-entered on the mound and the Saints got the second out of the inning on Ashley Palmer's sacrifice. Hobson followed with a single to put runners on the corners, and then Dore delivered her second triple of the game, bringing home Andrade and Hobson before Plimpton struck out the next batter to get out of the inning. Though Plimpton and the Saints kept the Soaring Eagles scoreless for the remainder of the game, they could not generate any offense in an effort to come back as Elmira picked up the second game win.