FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Saint Leo University softball team earned a bounce-back sweep of Nova Southeastern University to take the series 2-1 to conclude Saturday at the AD Griffin Sports Complex. The Green and Gold earned a close 1-0 win in the first game before finishing the doubleheader with a 4-0 victory.
The Lions improve to 28-8 on the season with a 4-5 tally in Sunshine State Conference play while the hosting Sharks dip to 11-15 with a 1-8 mark in SSC matchups.
Game one of the twin-bill shaped up to by the prototypical pitcher's duel, as Alana Tabel and Rachel Thornton traded scoreless inning upon scoreless inning for much of the game.
Saint Leo scored the lone run of the contest in the top of the seventh to elude extra-innings and avenge its Friday night loss to Thornton.
Freshman Brittany Creamer laced a double to right-center to lead off the frame before Rachael Heath came in as a pinch runner. Senior Torrie Weindorf tapped a sacrifice bunt to push the game winning run to third base. Catcher Tori Thomas would smack a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Heath and give the Green and Gold the only run of the game, winning by a 1-0 advantage.
Tabel (12-2, 0.91 ERA) tossed another complete-game shutout, her third of the season. The junior scattered four hits across seven innings, striking out seven batters and issuing a pair of walks for her team-leading 12th victory of the season.
Sharks starting pitcher Thornton (9-6) was tabbed with the loss, yielding the game winning run behind six hits while striking out two batters.
The second game followed suit, as one run separated the two squads for 4 innings. Saint Leo scored in the third as Tiffany Thompson singled to third base, scoring Thomas and breaking the tie in favor of the Green and Gold.
Senior Adriana Sanders hit a two-out triple to score a pair of runs in the fifth, giving the Lions a 3-0 advantage after five innings of play.
Saint Leo tacked on another run as senior Cassie Boggs launched a solo home run to right center, the outfielder's third of the season, to increase the Green and Gold lead to a 4-0 margin.
Freshman Samantha Tyler started in the circle for Saint Leo, pitching three shutout innings while scattering four hits.
Senior Ashley Ehlers (11-5, 1.77) pitched four innings in relief to earn the win, striking out the side in the seventh to preserve the shutout. The senior totaled four innings with four strikeouts without allowing a hit.
NSU hurler Maegan Lee (1-4) was credited with the loss, giving up four runs off of seven hits while striking out five batters and allowing a pair of walks.
Saint Leo will continue its road trip with a SSC series against Florida Tech, beginning with a Friday, March 27th matchup at 6 p.m. 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.
