CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Saint Leo softball team (9-11) completed its portion of the 2011 Eckerd College Spring Invitational, Sunday afternoon from the Eddie C. Moore Complex. The Lions began the day by dropping a 4-3 heartbreaker to Palm Beach Atlantic (10-6), which was followed by an 8-4 upset win of the No. 22-ranked Flagler College Saints (18-3).
Both Brittany Yates and Diane Gonzalez led the team with three hits apiece. In addition, both Yates and Gonzalez posted doubles at the same time driving in two runs each. Amber Martyn went 1-for-3 with a double while Sarah Boyd and Katie Gwinn each posted base knocks and drove in a run. JaimeLee Basinger added a single and scored a run. Four other Lions also added to the team’s 14 hit total.
In what has been a rollercoaster of a season thus far, the Lions faced a tough region opponent in Palm Beach Atlantic, and, at the beginnings anyway, it looked as though the Green & Gold were going to start their Sunday on a high note.
The Lions wasted no time in jumping on Sailfish hurler Chris Donovan as Ashlee Sismilich and Kasey Postupack reached base with a walk and a single. With one out, Yates ripped an RBI single through the left side to score Sismilich from third, giving Saint Leo the 1-0 lead.
Saint Leo continued their sweet swinging ways in the third as a pair of hits led to the Lions owning a 3-0 lead. Elysha Agen began the inning by reaching base on a fielding error and eventually came around to score on a two out RBI double by Gonzalez. Gwinn immediately followed with an infield single plating Gonzalez, putting the Sailfish in a difficult situation.
Unfortunately, a defensive lapse in the fourth inning allowed Palm Beach to reestablish themselves in the ballgame. Kimberly Traxler sent a 2-1 pitch from Lions’ starter Megan Still down the right field line. A diving attempt by Sismilich was unsuccessful as Traxler registered the inside-the-park homerun. Later, a two-out fielding error opened the flood gates for the Sailfish they followed the miscue with back-to-back RBI singles to tie the game at three apiece.
Both Saint Leo and Palm Beach Atlantic exchanged zeros for the next two innings before entering the bottom of the seventh inning. In their final at-bats, the Sailfish opened the frame with a single, setting up Brittany Schneider. With a runner at first, Schneider’s sacrifice attempt caused confusion for the Lions’ defense. With the corners crashing the play, a throwing misfire by the Lions’ first baseman sent the ball into right field, allowing Lauren Powell to score the game-winning run from first.
The error sent Still to her fourth loss of the season as she allowed just one earned run over six strong.
Depsite the loss, the maturity of the Lions’ brass truly shined in game two as they responded with a well-played ballgame against No.22-ranked Flagler.
The Green & Gold once again posted early run support for starter Jaime Walker. In the bottom of the second inning, Yates led off the inning with a double. After advancing to third on a Boyd sacrifice, Yates crossed the plate on a RBI single by Gonzalez.
The 1-0 lead was built up an inning later when Boyd’s two out, two-RBI double scored Agen and Yates.
Flagler trimmed the lead to one as three hits and an error saw the Saints jump back into the ballgame in the fourth inning.
This time, however, the Lions refused to let their opponents back into the game as they answered the nationally-ranked team’s challenge with five runs in the bottom of the fourth. Saint Leo collected five hits and capitalized on two errors to give them an 8-2 lead. Martyn delivered the big blow of the inning as her two-RBI single Yates and Agen for the third time each.
The Saints picked up runs in the fifth and seventh, but the Lions’ lead proved to be insurmountable as they claimed the 8-4 region win.
Walker collected the win for Saint Leo as she improved to 1-1, tossing four innings of four-hit ball.
In total, the Lions left 10 runners on base while swiping two bases.
The Lions will return to action on Tuesday, March 1 when take on Dominican College from the University Softball Stadium. First pitch for the non-region doubleheader is set for 5:00 p.m.
Game One: Box Score
Game Two: Box Score
