SUNYPotsdam Softball Splits Pair
FORT MYERS, FL- Brittany Pawlowski (West Seneca) hit her first collegiate homerun as pitched seven solid innings as the SUNY Potsdam womens softball team defeated Dallas 5-4 on Thursday morning in their first of two games..
The homerun was Pawlowski's only hit of the game as she went 1-3 at the plate with a run scored and three RBI. She pitched seven innings and gave up seven hits, four runs (3 earned) and struck out six.
Amanda Perry was 0-4 with a run scored. Allison Brievogel (Bellmore) was 1-2 with a run scored. Dana Vollmuth (Great River) went 0-2 with an RBI. Allison Smiddy (Ft. Covington) was 1-4 with a run scored. Jessica Brower (Staten Island) was 1-2 with an RBI.
In the second game, the Bears fell to St. Mary's 8-0. Perry had the only hit in the game for Potsdam. Katie Nawrot (Clarence) pitched two and two-thirds innings and gave up 12 hits and seven runs. Pawlowski pitched one and a-third innings and gave up six hits and just one run.
The Bears conclude their Florida trip with two games on Friday, the first against Ohio Wesleyan at 9 a.m and finale against WPI at 11 a.m.
SLU NOTCHES SWEEP
Also spending spring training in Fort Myvers, the St. Lawrence University softball team continued its impressive play as the Lady Saints pulled away to non-league wins over New Jersey City (9-5) and Wheelock College (9-0).
The Saints, now 7-3 on the season, drew five consecutive walks against New Jersey City in the first game to take a 2-0 lead in the opening contest. Senior Jenna Padeni's RBI-single scored classmate Molly Swan to make it 3-0, while junior pitcher Rachel Duffany breezed through the first four innings, allowing only four hits and recording four strikeouts.
Junior Melissa Rogers belted a solo home run to left field in the top of the fourth to give the Scarlet and Brown a 4-0 cushion. Though the Saints gave up an unearned run in fifth to make it 4-1, they answered with four runs in the sixth to take an 8-1 lead. After senior Amy Atkins and first-year student Liz McGinley drew back-to-back walks to lead off the sixth, Padeni moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Senior Sandy Gates' then laced a deep fly ball to right that scored both Atkins and pinch runner Lauren Weisbarth.
After senior Jennifer Girard was hit by a pitch, rookie Chelsea Cavellier laced a triple to right to push across another run. Senior Jessica Manderfield then capped the big inning with a double to left to score Cavellier and build a sevenrun cushion.
Though New Jersey City would load the bases in the bottom of the sixth, junior pitcher Rachel Duffany gunned down Tara Perrucci at the plate on a suicide squeeze play. The Watertown, NY native then got Stephanie Gomez to fly out to second to end the threat.
Atkins crushed her third home run of the season in the top of the seventh inning to give St. Lawrence a 9-2 edge. However, the Gothic Knights refused to go away quietly as they scored three runs on three hits and two errors to bring the score to 9-5. With runners on first and third and two out, Duffany delivered a crucial strikeout to end the game and allow her team to celebrate its sixth win of the season. Duffany finished with five strikeouts in the game while allowing three earned runs on eight hits.
Though St. Lawrence had to avoid a late rally by New Jersey City, the Saints were able to put away Wheelock College early behind a six-run first inning. The team drew six walks and had two hit batsmen along with a sac fly to open up a big lead. Swan and Atkins then had back-to-back doubles in the second to make it 7-0. McGinley would cap the scoring in the bottom of the fourth when she drilled a base hit up the middle for two RBI's and a 9-0 lead for St. Lawrence.
McGinley not only had success at the plate against the Wildcats, but she also pitched a solid game to earn her first collegiate victory. The Canastota native allowed only two hits and two walks while striking out six Wheelock hitters in the five-inning contest.
The Saints will play their final two games on the team's spring trip today against Carroll University and Olivet College before they return to action in the northeast against Elmira College on March 30.
