WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Saint Anselm College softball team picked up a 2-1 victory over Wayne State University on Saturday before falling to Caldwell University via run-rule, 8-0, in five innings.
The Hawks fall to 6-8 overall on the year and will play one more game in Florida, taking on Minnesota-Crookston for the second time in a neutral site game in Clermont, Fla. starting at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday.
Junior Kylie Fitzpatrick (Danville, N.H.) stroked a lead-off home run in the bottom of the first inning against Wayne State and an RBI single by senior Bailey Cain (Wellington, Fla.) tacked on the second run for the Hawks. Despite allowing a late run, the Hawks held onto the victory against the Warriors.
In game two versus Caldwell, the third East Region opponent for Saint Anselm in 2022, it was all Cougars. Saint Anselm was limited to just three hits as Caldwell mashed 11 hits in 21 at-bats, easing past the Hawks in just five innings.
With a team-leading 13 runs driven in across just 14 games for Saint Anselm, Cain is just one RBI shy of matching a career-high mark. She plated 14 runs with 29 hits in 46 games during the 2019 season as a freshman.
GAME ONE – Saint Anselm 2, Wayne State 1
Fitzpatrick's first home run of the season helped the Hawks gain a fast start to the day, creating a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first inning. The next 12 batters for Saint Anselm were retired in order prior to sophomore Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) reaching via a lead-off single in the fifth.
O'Hara was stranded on base for the Hawks, who later tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, junior Kate Irwin (Milford, Mass.) singled to left field and stole send base, later coming around to score on Cain's RBI single to left field.
A lead-off single for Wayne State in its last set of at-bats came around to score, doing so on a fielder's choice groundout to halve the Hawks advantage. With two outs, sophomore Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.) earned the victory in the circle by retiring the final Warriors batter with a groundout to third.
Hicks improved to 6-1 on the year, striking out nine batters and allowing just one walk and one earned run for Saint Anselm. Wayne State, led by two separate two-hit performances, gave up four hits on the day and two earned runs in the circle.
GAME TWO – Caldwell 8, Saint Anselm 0 (5 inn.)
Caldwell scored in all but one inning, powering past Saint Anselm in the day's final game. An RBI double in the bottom of the first inning preceded a two-run second inning for the Lions – a sacrifice fly and an RBI single upped the lead to 3-0.
Three runs came around to score in the bottom of the third inning. A two-run home run and another RBI single created the six-run advantage through just three innings of game play. The bottom of the fifth inning ended in walk-off fashion as an RBI double came just two plays before a game-ending wild pitch allowed the runner from third to scamper home.
Freshman Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.) and junior Ava Vincequere (Shrewsbury, Mass.) gave up eight earned runs and 11 hits in five innings. The pitching tandem for Caldwell pitched a clean game, outside of three hits and a walk.
