Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
CLERMONT, Fla. – Julie LeClair tallied a pair of multi-hit games but the Saint Anselm College softball team dropped games 7-1 to No. 14 West Virginia Wesleyan and 4-3 to Tiffin on Friday at Hancock Park.
In the first game of the day, West Virginia Wesleyan's Morgan Bruce homered three times and drove in six runs and Rebekah Honce added a solo home run as the Bobcats slugged their way past the Hawks.
Saint Anselm struck first in the top of the first inning to take an early lead on the nationally-ranked Bobcats. Pattie Turner laced a one-out double to right center and came around to score on a two-out single by LeClair.
The run was the first given up this season by West Virginia Wesleyan starter Anna Eggleston, who entered the game with 22.0 shutout innings to her credit. Eggleston did not yield a run the rest of the way and gave up six hits with no walks and nine strikeouts in a compete game.
Bruce tied the game at 1-1 in the third with a solo home run to left center off Sam Hennequin, who allowed seven runs, four earned, in six innings. Bruce added a two-run shot in the fifth, which was followed by Honce's home run, and homered again in the sixth with a three-run blast.
Turner and LeClair were each 2-for-3 at the dish for the Hawks and accounted for four of the team's six hits.
In the nightcap, Tiffin held off a Saint Anselm rally in the bottom of the seventh to defeat the Hawks 4-3.
With the Hawks trailing 4-2, Karoline Leavitt reached on an error and Jordan O'Connor hit an infield single to put runners on first and second with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt, Amanda Bickford singled to third to score Leavitt and move O'Connor, the tying run, to third.
However, Kelsey Yaratch retired the next two batters on grounders to third to earn the save in relief of Kimmy Reynolds, who allowed two runs in 4.2 innings of work for the Dragons.
Tiffin opened the scoring in the top of the second, scoring on a single by Samantha Ringwalt. The Dragons had three hits in the inning but the Hawks escaped further damage by gunning down a runner at the plate on an attempted steal.
LeClair tied the game at 1-1 with a towering home run that was just fair down the left-field line in the bottom of the second for her first homer of the year. The Dragons reclaimed the lead in the top of the third, scoring on a double by Jena King and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Michelle Poe.
Saint Anselm got a run back in the bottom of the third when Turner plated O'Connor with a two-out single to right. The Dragons stretched their lead to 4-2 when Allyson Rock led off the sixth with a home run to left as part of a 3-for-3 game for the catcher.
Bickford, LeClair and O'Connor each had two hits for the Hawks. Arika Brochu went the distance on the mound, allowing four runs on nine hits, while walking one and striking out one.
Saint Anselm closes out its Florida trip with games against Post at 9 a.m. and Gannon at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 5 at Hancock Park.
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