JOLIET, Ill. --- The University of St. Francis softball team's home opener proved to be a smashing success with the Saints outscoring Indiana University Purdue University Columbus 30-0 in a doubleheader sweep Tuesday afternoon at the Inwood Softball Complex. USF posted an 8-0 first-game victory and followed that with a 22-0 outburst in the nightcap.
Both contests went the minimum five innings.
Thirteen Saints in all recorded hits on the day as part of an overall 27-hit attack.
Brittany Osborne highlighted the show with six hits and six runs batted in at the top of the order.
Bridget McDermott drove in another five courtesy of her three hits.
Other three-hit afternoons were authored by
Danielle Callahan and
Maddie Massaro.
IUPUC, meanwhile, totaled just three hits on the day as a team due to the combined stinginess of Saint pitchers
Hannah Vachon,
Madisen Tucker and
Jordan Closs. Vachon registered her third straight shutout in Game 1, while Tucker and Closs combined on the second-game blanking.
Game 1: USF 8, Indiana Purdue Columbus 0
The Saints (13-5) scored all eight of their runs over the first three innings. McDermott,
Gracyn Gabriel and Osborne all had two-run hits with the latter two providing their RBIs on doubles.
The only two runs USF needed came in the first inning with Vachon (7-1) on the mound. She extended her scoreless streak to 26 2/3 innings with her third shutout in a row.
IUPUC (5-18) did have chances to score early on, getting a runner to third base with one out in the first inning and having runners at first and third base with two outs in the second. Vachon, however, shut the door both times, allowing just two hits in the contest, while striking out five and walking one.
Game 2: USF 22, Indiana Purdue Columbus 0
Seventeen different Saints saw action in Game 2 with ten of those notching hits and nine driving in at least one run. Six of those players also had multiple hits, while five drove in multiple runs. Osborne led in both areas with her four hits and four runs batted in. Included was a three-run home run in one of the two eight-run frames for USF.
McDermott, Massaro,
Jaelynn Taylor,
Maddy Eckberg and
Zoe Ditter all recorded a pair of hits with McDermott and Ditter driving in three runs each and
Kaylie Sippel and Taylor two apiece.
Taylor's two RBIs came on her first home run as a Saint in the third inning.
Tucker (3-1) and Closs combined to allow just one hit in the circle. Tucker went the first four innings before Closs struck out two of the four batters she faced in the fifth inning.
Notes: USF's 22 runs, 18 hits, four stolen bases, two triples and two home runs in Game 2 were all season-high marks with the home run count tying the campaign high … By going 6-for-7 on the day, Osborne joined the .400 average club with Callahan (.452), Massaro (.432) and Sippel (.400). Osborne is up to .409 … Callahan and Massaro did nothing to hurt their batting averages by going 3-for-3 and 3-for-4, respectively, on Tuesday … With her hits in both games on Tuesday, Massaro has tied the club-high for most consecutive games reaching base at nine contests … Osborne's four hits in Game 2 were the most by a USF player this year, while her four RBIs tied the season-high mark. She also extended her hitting streak to a season-best eight games, which also ties the club-high …
Rose Mwaro set the initial club-record hitting streak in Game 1, but had that snapped in the nightcap … The Saints are back home on Thursday to face Lourdes University (Ohio) for a 2:30 pm doubleheader.
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