MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Clutch pitching, timely hitting and a strong defense all spelled out a split doubleheader sweep of Bellevue University (Neb.) and Montreat College (N.C.) for the University of St. Francis softball team on Monday afternoon on day two of the Space Coast Spring Break Games in Melbourne, Fla. The Fighting Saints opened with a 2-0 shutout over Bellevue before claiming an 8-4 win in the nightcap against Montreat.
Kaitlyn Schofield kept Bellevue out of rhythm all game long in game one, scattering eight hits in her seven innings of work on the mound.
Emily Boyle,
Morgan Smardo, and Schofield combined to induce 10 groundball outs in the game two victory, with Boyle being credited with the win in the circle.
Offensively, the Saints (9-4) built leads after two innings in both contests with
Kylie Cook and
Emily Hurst providing offensive support in both contests. Cook went 3-for-7 with one RBI over the two games, while Hurst provided one RBI in each contest while also registering two hits and two walks.
Game 1: USF 2, Bellevue 0
After getting out of a bases loaded jam unscathed in the first inning, Schofield retired 15 of the next 20 batters she faced over the next five innings. Only one runner would get as far as second base during that span and that came on a two-out double in the fifth inning.
The Bruins (6-10) would later threaten by having the game-winning run reach the plate with out in the seventh, but Schofield would work herself out of the jam, inducing a flyout to right field before striking out the final batter to solidify the 2-0 win.
The Saints scored their first run of the game in the second inning after a RBI single off the bat of
Isabella Landeros allowed Hurst - who had reached base via a leadoff double - to cross the plate. In the seventh, the Saints tacked on one more score to their tally with a RBI double from Hurst to score
Katherine Winkel, who had just been inserted into the game as a pinch runner for Cook who had reached base one batter earlier off an infield single.
Schofield (4-2) picked up the complete game victory in the circle, tossing seven scoreless innings, while striking out six batters.
Game 2: USF 8, Montreat 4
Aided by a four-run second inning, the Saints picked up their second win of the day with an 8-4 victory over Montreat (8-9). Five USF players in all recorded at least one hit in the contest.
St. Francis spotted the Cavaliers a 2-0 lead after the first half-inning before the Saints scored six of the game's final 10 runs over the next two innings of play.
Missy Saldana,
Sarah Viar and Smardo each had a pair of hits as part of USF's eight-hit attack.
Jaelynn Taylor and Saldana drove in two runs each, while Cook and Hurst each accounted for one.
Taylor collected her two RBIs in the big second inning, where Cook and Hurst each helped to knock in one run as part of USF's four-hit, two-walk frame. Hurst also had a RBI fielder's choice in the first inning with Smardo joining the RBI party in the fifth with a two-out single up the middle to score Landeros.
Boyle was credited with the win in the circle, improving her record to 5-2 on the year. The junior hurler struck out one across four innings of work while surrendering five hits and three runs before yielding the ball to Smardo for the fifth and sixth innings, where the sophomore would strike out two batters against giving up one run. Schofield would later return to the mound to close things out in the seventh inning to secure the 8-4 win.
Up Next
The Saints have a quick turnaround as they will take the field again on Tuesday (March 10) to face Lourdes University (Ohio) at 1:30 pm CST followed by a showdown with Bismarck State College (N.D.) at 3:45 pm CST.
You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.
