CHICAGO -- In a battle between two of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference's current top three teams, Saint Xavier University came away with 9-1 and 9-3 victories over the University of St. Francis softball team Saturday afternoon.

Out-hitting St. Francis 22-12 on the day, Saint Xavier (34-10, 23-1 CCAC) rallied with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning after the Fighting Saints (29-12, 15-6) had taken the lead at 3-2 in the top half of the fifth frame in Game 2.  In the opener, the Cougars showcased their hot hitting, jumping out to a 4-1 lead after the first two stanzas before slamming the door with the 9-1 mercy rule victory.

Missy Saldana and Morgan Smardo both recorded a hit in each end of the doubleheader, with the two players accounting for USF's only base hits in Game 1.  Jaelynn Taylor and Kamryn Koontz added another two hits apiece to the cause with their respective 2-for-4 and 2-for-3 showings at the plate in Game 2.

Game 1:  Saint Xavier 9, USF 1  (5 innings)
The Saints jumped ahead 1-0 after taking advantage of a SXU defensive miscue in the first inning, but the Cougars quickly retook the lead with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the same frame.  Saint Xavier would add runs in each of its remaining three at-bats capped off with a four-run fourth inning to secure the 9-1 victory.  USF could only counter with two hits scattered throughout the five-inning shortened game.

Saldana and Smardo each registered one single apiece for USF in the contest.

Mallory O'Connor went 3-for-3 with four runs batted in to lead Saint Xavier's offensive attack.

Kaitlyn Schofield was credited with the loss in the circle, dropping her overall record to 14-7.

Game 2:  Saint Xavier 9, USF 3
In the nightcap, Saint Xavier scored two runs in the first inning before putting the nail in the Saints' coffin with a quartet of runs in the fifth inning followed by three more in the sixth.

After plating single runs in each of the third and fourth innings via a RBI double from Taylor and a SXU defensive miscue, respectively, to knot the score at 2-2, St. Francis then broke that tie in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Isabella Landeros to take a 3-2 lead.  One half inning later, the Cougars gained that run back plus three more, however, when three hits, four walks and a sacrifice fly resulted in a dramatic shift of momentum in Saint Xavier's favor.  Two USF errors and a passed ball in the sixth inning would turn into three more runs for the Cougars, marking the final score at 9-3.

Along with two base hits apiece from Taylor and Koontz, Kylie Cook collected one hit and a walk as part of USF's 10 total hits, while Saldana registered a double for her lone base knock of the contest.

Up Next
The Saints, who are currently receiving votes in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll, will travel to Bourbonnais, Ill. on Monday, April 20 to take on the Tigers of Olivet Nazarene University.  First pitch of the CCAC single game contest is slated to begin at 3 pm.

You can keep up with everything happening around USF Athletics on X @USFSaints.