Melbourne, Fla. — Soaking in the warm weather in the sunshine state, the Aquinas softball team racked up a pair of wins Sunday (Mar. 12) to kick off its 2023 Spring Break trip that will feature 15 games in seven days at the USSSA Space Coast Complex.
The Saints (8-5 overall) took down West Virginia Tech (9-6) by five runs, 7-2, in an early morning clash at 9 a.m. and then proceeded to defeat Hannibal-LaGrange (5-7) in a high-scoring afternoon affair, 11-7.
Game 1: Aquinas 7, West Virginia Tech 2
AQ quickly built up a 3-0 lead in the second inning after successfully pulling off the double steal of second and home base, followed by a two-run single by
Darrien Roberts.
West Virginia Tech punched back with a two-run home run by Scarlet Janney in the third inning to get the Golden Bears back within a run, 3-2. However, WVT would only get two more hits the rest of the game — a double in the fourth and single in the seventh — and didn't generate any more runs.
Leah Ash pitched five innings and racked up eight strikeouts before handing the ball off to reliever
Nina Bennett to close out the contest. Ash got the win to move to 4-2 on the season.
The Saints expanded their lead with three more runs in the fourth inning, which included an RBI double by
Kaelyn Stafford and a triple by
Emma Houseman for AQ's only extra base hits of the game.
AQ's seventh and final run came in the seventh inning, as
Jessica Dobias singled to left field to go 2-for-2 for the game and watched teammate
Ashley Snyder score on a Golden Bears' error.
Aquinas scored its seven runs on five hits. Both defenses struggled at times with the two teams combining for five errors. The Saints stole a season-high seven bases:
Haley Myers (3), Dobias (2), Stafford (1) and Roberts (1).
Game 2: Aquinas 11, Hannibal-LaGrange 7
An electric first inning saw both squads plate three runs. For a second straight game, AQ scored first by executing a double steal of second and home plate. The Saints then tacked on two RBI singles by
Taylor Charon and
Kim Sosnowski. The Trojans (5-7) answered with a pair of triples that scored three runs in the bottom half.
Izzy Dawson provided another RBI single in the second to give AQ a 4-3 lead.
A four-run fourth inning allowed the Saints to pull away. Charon picked up another RBI on a triple to right field,
Leah Vaughan singled back up the middle to drive in a run and then Snyder did the same to score Sosnowski and Vaughan.
Aquinas added one run in the fifth and sixth innings to take a commanding 10-3 lead. Charon picked up her team-leading third RBI in the sixth inning with a double to right field.
Hannibal-LaGrange tried to mount a comeback in the seventh — scoring three runs on two hits and two AQ errors — but couldn't quite claw back the seven-run deficit.
The Saints accumulated 15 hits, marking the third time this season they have had 15-plus hits in a game. AQ also only stuck out once at the plate and hit .417 as a team.
Charon and Dawson each had three hits with Snyder, Vaughan and Sosnowski also having a multi-hit game with two apiece. Aquinas bolstered its season's on-base percentage to .416, which is good enough for 21st best in the NAIA.
The Saints stole six bases in Game 2: Roberts (2),
Courtney Hardin (1), Dawson (1), Snyder (1) and McKenna Hinke (1). AQ is now 30-for-35 on stolen base attempts this season.
Aquinas returns to action tomorrow (Mar. 12) with a triple header against Dordt at 11:30 a.m. followed by Montreat at 2 p.m. and ended with St. Thomas at 7 p.m. The Saints are also slated to play three games on Tuesday and Thursday, as well. All games are being played at the USSSA Space Coast Complex in Melbourne, Fla.
