WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Saint Anselm College softball team wrapped up their Florida trip with a win over Wayne State University, 5-2, on Saturday before falling in extra innings to Hillsdale College in game-two of the final day of The Spring Games.
UP NEXT:
- Saint Anselm returns to the Hilltop to begin Northeast-10 Conference play against Assumption University on Saturday, March 30 for a doubleheader. The first game of the twinbill is set for 12:00 p.m. start time from the South Athletic Fields.
Score: Saint Anselm 2, Wayne State 5
Win: H. Hicks (7-2)
Loss: S. Long (4-5)
Records: Saint Anselm 8-12; Wayne State (8-10)
Location: Winter Haven, Fla. (Diamondplex Field)
Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024
Attendance: 150
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 1):
- Saint Anselm jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first inning as senior Gracie O'Hara (Shrewsbury, Mass.) doubled to left center to score freshman Jamie Calkins (Charlton, Mass.). O'Hara then tagged home on an RBI single from junior Sam Wiberg (Exeter, N.H.) to give the Hawks the early two run edge.
- Wayne State responded in their first at-bat of the game after tallying back-to-back doubles to cut Saint Anselm's advantage in half. Senior pitcher Haile Hicks (Jefferson, N.H.), making her tenth start on the rubber this year, struck out a pair of batters between the second and third inning as the Hawk defense held the Warriors to zero hits.
- It wasn't until the top of the seventh inning that Saint Anselm's bat came alive once again adding three more runs off four hits to extend their lead to 5-1. Freshman Madison Trisket (Binghamton, N.Y.) started the inning with a single up the middle, her second hit of the game.
- Junior Stephanie Tardugno (Methuen, Mass) and Calkins followed as both tallied a single apiece to load the bases with one out in the inning. Then junior Ava Caputo (Waterford, N.Y.) lasered the ball down the middle, bringing Trisket and Tardugno home to further the Hawks advantage to 4-1.
- O'Hara picked up her second RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly to center field to score Calkins and put Saint Anselm ahead 5-1 in the final inning. Wayne State continued to fight in the bottom of the inning as Shelby Miller lined the ball into left center for an RBI double, but the Hawks secured the victory by a final score of 5-2.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Saint Anselm posted five runs on nine hits while Wayne State had two runs on eight hits in the game.
- Caputo went 1-for-4 in game one with two RBI and a stolen base. O'Hara also picked up a pair of RBI after going 1-for-3 and hitting the lone double for the Hawks. Wiberg posted two hits on four at-bats and also snagged an RBI.
- Trisket produced her first two collegiate hits as a Hawks in the win after going 2-for3 at the plate.
- Hicks pitched for all seven innings to earn her eighth win on the mound for Saint Anselm this season. She threw 103 total pitches allowing just two earned runs on eight hits and striking out five batters in the win.
- Long also pitched the entire game for Wayne State picking up the loss after allowing five earned runs on nine hits.
Score: Saint Anselm 3, Hillsdale 8 (8 innings)
Win: J. Russell (8-3)
Loss: S. DiPippo (0-3)
Records: Saint Anselm 8-13; Hillsdale 14-8
Location: Winter Haven, Fla. (Diamondplex Field)
Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024
Attendance: 50
HOW IT HAPPENED (Game 2):
- Junior Sophia DiPippo (Cranston, R.I.), making her fifth appearance on the mound for Saint Anselm, struck out two batters in the opening two innings of game two of the day. Tardugno posted the first hit of the game for the Hawks with a single down the third base line.
- Hillsdale strung two hits together in the top of the third inning but Saint Anselm's defense came up big as the Chargers stranded two runners. In the top of the fourth, Hillsdale tacked on the first two runs of the game highlighted by an RBI double from Lewis to make it 2-0.
- Following a quiet couple of innings, Saint Anselm came out strong in the bottom of the seventh as junior Julia Howse (North Reading, Mass.) singled to right field after checking into the game as a pinch hitter to put runners on first and second base. Sophomore Kylie Frank (Hampstead, N.H.) stepped up to the plate and singled to load the bases up with no outs.
- Caputo soon answered for the Hawks with a two-RBI double to right center, scoring Trisket and Howse, to force the game into extra innings tied up at 2-2. In the top of the eighth, Olaveson doubled to center field for Hillsdale to tack on the first run of the inning.
- After Wallner posetd an RBI single to score Olaveson and make it 4-2, freshman pitcher Kendra Lee (Endicott, N.Y.) checked into the game for Saint Anselm. The Chargers kept pushing their offense adding four more runs on two hits to take a commanding 8-2 lead. The Hawks were unable to respond in the bottom of the eighth tacking on one run as Hillsdale took the win by a final score of 8-3.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Hillsdale produced eight runs on 11 hits, including six runs in the eighth inning only, while Saint Anselm posted three runs on seven hits.
- The Chargers recorded two errors in comparison to the Hawks with just one error in the game.
- Caputo secured two RBI in the loss after going 1-for-4 at the plate and hitting the lone double for the Hawks. Tardugno went 2-for-3 while Wiberg, Howse, and Frank each posted one hit in the game.
- DiPippo picked up the loss for Saint Anselm after pitching seven innings and allowing four earned runs on nine hits. She faced 31 batters in the game striking out four and walking just one. Lee threw the final inning allowing three earned runs on two hits after facing four batters.
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