ADRIAN, Mich. ---
Jaelynn Taylor powered up for two home runs and seven runs batted in on the day and both
Emily Boyle and
Kaylie Sippel came up with a pair of clutch hits in Game 1 to lead the University of St. Francis softball team to a doubleheader sweep of Siena Heights University (Mich.) on Saturday. The Fighting Saints won a nail-biter in Game 1, 3-2, before cruising to a 12-3 second-game victory.
Boyle scored the second run and provided the game-winning hit in the opener, while Sippel scored the game-winner and drove home the first run. Taylor authored the first two-home run game of her collegiate career in the nightcap as well as her first-ever grand slam. She also had a key two-out hit in Game 1.
Taylor finished her memorable day going 4-for-7 to lead the two-game, 19-hit attack. Boyle, Sippel and
Brittany Osborne registered another three hits each on the afternoon.
In the circle,
Kiersten Manning (7-3) and
Jordan Closs (4-3) produced route-going performances.
Game 1: USF 3, Siena Heights 2 --- 8 Innings
The Saints secured their fourth one-run win of the season courtesy of Boyle, Sippel, Taylor and Manning. Sippel's lead-off triple in the eighth inning set the stage for Boyle's game-winning hit. The former also drove home USF's first run to tie the game at one-all in the third inning.
St. Francis went up 2-1 in the sixth inning when Taylor singled home Boyle (single) with two outs. Siena Heights answered right back with the game-tying run in the bottom half of the inning.
Both teams had the chance to win the game in the seventh inning. Osborne had a two-out double in the top half of the inning, but could not be brought home. Manning then had to work out of a first-and-second jam with no one out in the bottom half of the inning.
Kylie Cook had a big play by forcing out the lead runner on a throw to third base to get the first out. Manning then got a foul out and a strikeout to send the game to extra innings.
Like USF in the top half of the eighth inning, Siena Heights (7-7) got a triple in its at-bat. That runner, however, was wiped out when
Isabella Landeros recovered a wild pitch and threw to Manning at home plate for the second out of the inning. A lineout then ended the tight contest.
Sippel (2-for-4) and Boyle (2-for3) combined for half of USF's eight hits in the game.
Manning struck out 11 batters in her eight innings of work.
Game 2: USF 12, Siena Heights 3
Taylor put to bed early any thoughts of a close second game with her first-inning grand slam to put the Saints up 5-0. She would add another two-run home run in the third inning to make it an 8-0 game after the first three innings.
Head coach
Amanda Jensen's team would tack on two more runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to invoke the eight-run rule.
Hailey Kaddatz drove in two of the four later runs with a double.
Taylor went 3-for-3 with six runs batted in in the affair. Osborne and Landeros each had a pair of hits.
Closs was the benefactor in the circle, registering her fourth win of the campaign.
Notes: The Saints went 3-1 over the four-game weekend set and produced two-home run games on each day … Taylor's six-RBI game was the highest output by any USF player this season. Her three-hit game was also the first of her career … Manning's 11 strikeouts were her second-highest total of the season and gave her 21 for the weekend … Landeros had her streaks reaching base (12 games) and hitting (six) snapped in the first game, but responded with her seventh multi-hit game in the nightcap … The Saints have the next 11 days off before opening defense of their regular-season conference title on March 27 at Olivet Nazarene University.
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