JOLIET, Ill. -- Missy Saldana's grand slam home run in Game 1 and Kaitlyn Schofield's two wins in the circle made for a lively day for the University of St. Francis softball team in its 4-3 and 6-5 doubleheader sweep of Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Trinity Christian College on Saturday afternoon at the Harlow Lockwood Softball Fields.

While the grand slam from Saldana was the deciding factor in Game 1, USF's defensive prowess was just as important in both ends of the twinbill from Kamryn Koontz's diving catch in the gap in Game 1 to Kylie Cook robbing Trinity Christian of two runs with fantastic defensive plays at third base in Game 2.  In between, there was Juliana Anderson snaring a two-out lineout to save a run from scoring, Saldana making a running catch in the gap from centerfield and Schofield striking out six batters with runners in scoring position throughout the duration of both contests.

Saldana and Koontz both had three hits on the day, while Schofield (9-5) recorded a pair of wins on the same day in the circle for the first time this season.

Game 1:  USF 4, Trinity Christian 3
Saldana started Game 1 off in exciting fashion for the Saints with her grand slam in the second inning to score Jaelynn Taylor (single), Koontz (single) and Smardo (walk) who had all previously reached base in St. Francis' four-hit frame.

TCC combined to score three runs between the fourth and fifth innings, but Saldana's blast proved to be the difference in the end in the 4-3 ballgame.

Schofield delivered in the circle, going the distance and striking out three, while allowing six hits, for her first win of the day.

St. Francis' offense matched TCC's hit-total with six hits of its own in the contest.  Along with Saldana (two hits), Taylor (one) and Koontz (one), Sarah Viar (double) and Cook (single) were also credited with one base knock each.

Game 2:  USF 6, Trinity Christian 5  (9 innings)
Cook ended the longest game of the season for the Saints - a two-hour, 26-minute affair - scoring a walkoff run via a wild pitch with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Saints tied the game three batters earlier with textbook situational hitting, after Smardo led off the inning with a double down the left field line.  Saldana followed by moving Smardo to third with a deep flyball to rightfield, before Viar took advantage of an inside pitch to hit a groundball to the right side allowing Smardo to slide in safely at the plate ahead of the throw from the second baseman.

Trinity Christian (5-14, 0-3) gained the lead in the top of the ninth inning when it had four of its first five batters reach base.  The Trolls, however, could push just the one run across the plate and left the bases stranded.  For the game, they left 14 runners on base, gaining the five runs on five hits and 12 free passes from the USF pitching staff.

USF jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first two innings of play before TCC tied the game with a two-out, two-strike home run over the left center wall in the top of the third inning.  St. Francis responded by scoring again in the bottom half of the same frame with a towering homerun off the bat of Taylor – her second longball in as many days - before Trinity Christian took advantage of three straight walks in the sixth inning to push the tying run across the plate with a fielder's choice later in the stanza.

Smardo (2-for-2) and Koontz (2-for-4) finished the contest with a double and a run scored each, while Saldana, Viar, Taylor and Emily Hurst all provided one RBI apiece.

Starter Schofield battled through the first four innings after logging all seven innings in Game 1, yielding four hits and three runs, while striking out two batters before returning to the mound in the seventh to work the final three innings and notch the win.  She finished the game with a total of six strikeouts.

Up Next
The Saints will take the field again on Tuesday, March 24 when they host the Crimson Wave of Calumet College of St. Joseph (Ind.) in a CCAC matchup at Harlow Lockwood Softball Field in Joliet, Ill.  The doubleheader is set to begin at 3 pm.

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