SAINT LEO, Fla. – The ninth-ranked Saint Leo University softball team saw its pitching dominate the visiting Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish on Friday night. Across the two games, the pitchers combined to allow two runs on just one hit over the course of the doubleheader. Chloe Hocquard, Bella DiJulio, and Alex Wright combined to throw a six-inning no hitter in a 9-1 win over the Sailfish in game two. Izzy LaRoche combined to go 6-for-7 on the day with a 4-for-4 game in game two. Saint Leo extended its win streak to 16 games as it improved to 21-2-1 overall and 8-0 in SSC play, while PBA falls to 8-16 overall and 0-5 in SSC action.

Saint Leo took game one of its Sunshine State Conference doubleheader against Palm Beach Atlantic, 6-1. Tierney Hocquard was dominant in the circle, tossing a one-hit complete game with nine strikeouts to improve to 7-1 on the season. Abigail Hynes led the offense with a three-run home run, while Sydney Cline went 1-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored. Nia DeBenedittis added an RBI single, and Briana Neal scored twice.

The Lions completed the doubleheader sweep of Palm Beach Atlantic with a 9-1 six-inning win in game two. The Lions collected 15 hits while three pitchers combined to no-hit the Sailfish after the first inning. Alex Wright earned the win in relief with 4.0 hitless innings and four strikeouts. Izzy LaRoche led the offense with a 4-for-4 performance that included a double, a triple, three RBI, and two runs scored. Abigail Hynes went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, while Nia DeBenedittis finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Sommer Speers added two hits, including a double and an RBI, and Briana Neal drove in a run with two walks and a stolen base.
 
Game 1: #9 SAINT LEO 6, PALM BEACH ATLANTIC 1

• After two scoreless innings, Saint Leo broke through in the third. Briana Neal reached on an error, Alexis Barber got on with a bunt error, and Abigail Hynes moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Sydney Cline then doubled to right center to bring home two runs, and after Izzy LaRoche's sacrifice fly moved Cline to third, Nia DeBenedittis singled through the left side to make it 3-0.
• The Lions added three more in the fourth. Hailey Beuerlein opened the inning with a double, and after Hannah Durante entered as a pinch runner, Neal reached on an error and Barber dropped down a sacrifice bunt to put two runners in scoring position. Hynes followed with a three-run homer to extend the lead to 6-0.
• Palm Beach Atlantic got its lone run in the fifth on a solo home run by M. Szierer, but Hocquard settled right back in and closed out the final three innings without allowing another run. She struck out five of the final 10 batters she faced to secure the 6-1 win.

 
GAME 2: #9 SAINT LEO 9, PALM BEACH ATLANTIC 1 (6 inns.)

• Palm Beach Atlantic plated its lone run in the first inning after four walks, including a bases-loaded walk that forced in a run before Bella DeJulio entered in relief to record the final out of the frame. From there, the Saint Leo pitching staff shut the door, combining for five hitless innings to secure the no-hitter.
• The Lions responded in the second inning when Izzy LaRoche singled to start the frame and eventually scored on Hailey Beuerlein's RBI single. Nia DeBenedittis later scored on a single by Sommer Speers to give Saint Leo a 2-1 lead.
• Saint Leo broke the game open in the fourth inning with four runs. Abigail Hynes drove in a run with a single, Sydney Cline added an RBI single, and LaRoche delivered the big swing with a two-run double to extend the lead to 6-1.
• The Lions added another run in the fifth when Sommer Speers doubled and later scored on Briana Neal's RBI single to center field. Saint Leo closed the game in the sixth inning when LaRoche tripled down the right-field line to drive in a run before DeBenedittis followed with an RBI single, sealing the 9-1 run-rule victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
16 consecutive wins, matches last year's longest win streak
128 runs scored by Saint Leo
13 Home runs
.388 team batting average
.172 opponent batting average
110 strikeouts by Saint Leo pitching
1.85 team ERA
8 complete games
5 wins each by Tierney Hocquard and Haleigh Thomas

UP NEXT
Saint Leo and Palm Beach Atlantic are back to complete the SSC series with an 11 a.m. series finale at Mary Cannon Cabot Stadium on Saturday.