LAKEVILLE, Ind. -- The University of St. Francis softball team used its offensive presence to its advantage against Indiana University South Bend on Monday afternoon en route to scoring 9-3 and 14-9 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference victories over the Titans at Newton Park in Lakeville, Ind.  The Fighting Saints asserted their bats with power and timely hitting, using three homeruns and eight doubles to produce 17 of the team's 23 runs on the day.

There was plenty of offense to go around for USF with eight different players registering multi-hits on the day.  Isabella Landeros (2 RBI, 4 runs) led the way with five hits in her nine at-bats, while Emily Hurst (2 RBI) collected three hits and three walks while scoring four runs in her nine plate appearances.

Other big hitters on the day were Kamryn Koontz (3-for-6, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 runs), Jaelynn Taylor (3-for-8, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 runs), Sarah Viar (3-for-9, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 4 runs), Missy Saldana (3-for-10, 3 RBI, 3 runs), Katelyn Schofield (2-for-4, 2 RBI) and Kylie Cook (2-for-8, 3 RBI, 1 run).

Game 1:  USF 8, Indiana South Bend 2
Aided by a five-run third inning, the Saints picked up their first win of the day with a 9-2 victory.  Eight USF players in all recorded at least one hit in the contest.

After the Titans spotted St. Francis a 2-0 lead after the second inning, the Saints scored six of the game's final ten runs over the next two innings of play.

Landeros recorded three hits as part of USF's 13-hit attack, while Hurst and Schofield each had two.  Landeros, Schofield and Koontz also drove in two runs each, and Hurst led all Saints with three runs scored.

Koontz collected her two RBIs in the big third inning, where Hurst, Landeros and Schofield each helped to knock in one run each as part of USF's six-hit frame.  Schofield also had a RBI base hit in the second inning with Emily Boyle joining the RBI party in the same frame with a bases loaded fielder's choice.  Landeros was credited with her second RBI of the day in the fourth stanza, before the Saints capped their scoring after taking advantage of an IUSB fielding miscue to plate an unearned run in the seventh.

Schofield was credited with the complete game victory in the circle, improving her record to 12-6 on the year.  The junior hurler struck out five across seven innings of work while surrendering six hits and three runs.

Game 2:  USF 3, Indiana South Bend 1
After Saldana led off Game 2 with a first-pitch single, Viar authored a towering homerun to straightaway centerfield in the next at-bat to put the Saints up 2-0 after only two pitches were thrown by IUSB starting pitcher Savannah Hamilton.  Those two hits aided USF to a 13-hit offensive attack that resulted in a 14-9 final score.

Seven more of those base knocks would come in the fifth frame which proved to be the decisive factor in the ballgame.  Coming into the inning down 7-5, the Saints sent 12 hitters to the plate in the stanza which produced nine runs that were capped off with a three-run homerun from Taylor flowed by a solo shot off the bat of Koontz.  The offensive outburst, which also consisted of RBIs from Saldana (2), Viar (2) and Cook (2), propelled the Saints ahead 14-7 before the Titans tacked on two runs of their own in the sixth to mark the final score with a five-run margin.

Saldana also took credit for a RBI in the second inning with Cook (2) and Hurst (1) driving in the two runs that the Saints' scored in the fourth.

Saldana finished the game going 3-for-5 at the plate with three RBIs.  Viar (4 RBI), Cook (3 RBI) and Taylor (3 RBI) also collected multiple RBIs, while Viar (2-for-5), Landeros (2-for-4) and Koontz (2-for-3) all picked up two hits apiece at the plate.

Boyle picked up the complete-game win in the circle, upping her season record to 13-2 overall.  She scattered eight hits across seven innings of work, with three strikeouts against seven walks while allowing four earned runs.

Up Next
The Saints will take the field again on Tuesday, April 7 when they host first-year conference member Mount Mary University (Wis.) in a CCAC matchup at Harlow Lockwood Softball Field in Joliet, Ill.  The doubleheader is set to begin at 3 pm.

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