JOLIET, Ill. --- Using five home runs on the day, including a pair each from third baseman Danielle Callahan (JR/New Lenox, Ill.) and Bridget McDermott (SO/Palos Heights, Ill.), the University of St. Francis softball team was able to gain a split of its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader with St. Ambrose University on Friday night, dropping the first game 9-6 before claiming Game 2 by a 7-6 count at the Inwood Softball Complex.
Both teams actually held early 3-0 leads in the contests they lost with St. Ambrose putting up six runs in the fourth inning of the opener and St. Francis totaling four runs in the third inning of the nightcap to wipe out those deficits.
Callahan's home runs came with a runner on each time to give her four runs batted in on the night with three hits. She also scored four times.
McDermott, who saw time in the outfield, in the circle and at first base, produced a two-run shot in the opener and a solo home run to start the comeback in the nightcap.
Shortstop Brittany Osborne (SO/Romeoville, Ill.) did her job atop the order, as well, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored in each game.
Senior first baseman Kayla Garcia (GR/Chicago, Ill.) was honored for her record-setting career before the twinbill as the only graduating player in the program.
Game 1 --- St. Ambrose 9, USF 6
Things started well for the Saints (19-9, 9-7 CCAC) with a solo home run from Osborne in the first inning and a two-run home run from Callahan in the third inning to go up 3-0 before St. Ambrose scored all six of its fourth inning runs after two were out. The Fighting Bees (18-10, 12-7) would add a single run in the fifth inning to make it 7-3.
USF got back in the contest with McDermott's two-run home run in the fifth inning before making it a one-run game (7-6) on a Kaylie Sippel (FR/Beecher, Ill.) pinch-hit single in the sixth inning.
That inning was also the Saints' best opportunity to erase the deficit completely with runners on first and second base and no one out with the top of the order coming up. Reliever Jane Thomas, however, was able to thwart the rally with a popup, flyout and lineout.
St. Ambrose went on to add a pair of insurance runs one half-inning later.
Seven different Saints recorded hits in the contest with Osborne and Christina Lorenzatti (FR/Beecher, Ill.) collecting two each.
Hannah Vachon (JR/Oxford, Mich.) (7-4) took the loss in the circle.
Game 2 --- USF 7, St. Ambrose 6
Seven unanswered runs and a pair of crucial St. Ambrose errors helped the Saints gain the split on the day. Trailing 3-0 after the first inning-and-one-half, USF started its rally in the second inning with McDermott's solo home run before putting up a four-spot in the third inning.
Center fielder Carlie Benes (JR/Valparaiso, Neb.) started the big inning with her sacrifice fly with Lorenzatti delivering the other run batted in on a single. USF was aided by a pair of St. Ambrose errors for its other two runs.
Callahan's second two-run home run of the day proved to be the difference in the end after the Fighting Bees rallied with three runs in the fifth inning to make it a 7-6 contest.
Vachon came on in relief to stem the tide, retiring seven of the final eight batters she faced, including the final two batters after Allison Polly's one-out double put the tying run at second base in the seventh inning.
Vachon saved the game for starter Madisen Tucker (JR/St. John, Ind.), who improved to 9-1 on the season. For Vachon, it was her second save of the season.
Sippel added two hits in Game 2 to finish her day 3-for-3 at the plate.
Games 5 and 6 of a stretch of eight games in four days take place Saturday (May 1) at 1 pm in Chicago against CCAC rival Saint Xavier University.
