SAINT LEO, Fla. – Closing out the Saint Leo University Sunshine Invitational, the Saint Leo softball team picked up a doubleheader sweep of McKendree University in the final day of the tournament. The Green and Gold took the first contest by an 11-0 score before ending the twin-bill with a 7-1 win for game two, Sunday at the University Softball Stadium.
The Lions swept all five of their contests for the weekend and improve to 13-2 on the season while McKendree returns home with a 1-3 tally.
The Saint Leo offense continued to dominate opposing pitchers, as the team out-scored opponents by a staggering 53-4 margin. The Lions forced four games to conclude early due to runs out of the five game weekend.
Sophomore Michelle George was the offensive catalyst, picking up 12 hits and 12 RBI throughout the tournament. The first-baseman crossed the plate nine times and legged out three triples to conclude the weekend.
Senior Adriana Sanders also boasted a strong tournament, driving in 12 RBI behind nine hits. The third-baseman batted at a .600 clip while scoring four runs and swiping a pair of bases. Leadoff hitter McKenzie Burns hit a torrid 11-for-13, scoring 11 times and stealing seven bases.
The Green and Gold took the first contest by an 11-0 margin as Ashley Ehlers (3-2, 2.70 ERA) tossed a complete-game shutout, surrendering just two hits while striking out nine batters. Sanders and George each tallied two RBI and two hits while leftfielder Tiffany Thompson added two hits and a run to her stat line in the opening game.
Bearcats hurler Susan Goetze (0-1) was tabbed with the loss in her first start of the season, allowing eight earned runs across three innings of work. The right-hander surrendered 11 hits and issued four walks in the first contest.
In the final game of the tournament, the Lions battled the Bearcats to a 7-1 victory to seal the clean sweep of the tournament. Junior Alana Tabel (6-0, 0.76 ERA) pitched a masterful complete-game, scattering three hits while sending eight batters down on strikes across seven innings. The pitcher allowed one unearned run to shrink her team-best earned run average to a 0.76 mark.
The Saint Leo outfield led the offensive charge, as the trio combined for seven hits in nine at-bats. Burns was a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs while Thompson mirrored with two hits in as many chances. Senior Cassie Boggs picked up a pair of hits including a RBI double. Shortstop Ciera Schumaker laced a two RBI single in the game as the Green and Gold finished the contest with a 7-1 victory.
McKendree pitcher Brooke Gajewski (0-1) was credited with the loss after allowing seven runs on 12 hits across six innings of work. Outfielder Erica Johnson was the lone Bearcat to record multiple hits on the day, picking up two singles in the second game.
The Lions will open Sunshine Stat Conference play hosting a weekend series against Barry University at the University Softball Stadium. The first game will be played Saturday, Feb. 28th at 6 p.m. before a Sunday doubleheader, slated for a 12:00 p.m. start. Live stats will be made available through www.saintleolions.com.
For more information on the Saint Leo softball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
