KINGSTON, R.I. – The Holy Cross softball team fell to Rhode Island 4-3 in its opening game of the 2021 season.
Kelly Nelson got the start in the circle and went 4.2 innings while striking out seven and giving up three hits and two earned runs. At the plate, Holy Cross was led by
Bella Jankowski's 2-for-3 day as the senior scored once, walked once, and stole a base.
Erin Bengston went 2-for-4 with a double and one RBI. Kari Jacboson and
Mel Leach each scored and
Hannah Horton and
Megan Yurchick picked up RBIs.
The Rams got on the board in the first inning as the Crusaders shook some rust off their gloves. Two errors in the frame allowed one run to cross the plate. Nelson was not at all rusty in the circle as she got all three outs in the first by way of a strikeout.
The next two innings Nelson sat URI down in order before the Crusaders took the lead in the top of the fourth. Jankowski picked up her second hit of the day on a single up the middle and promptly stole second. After
Mel Leach walked and
Alyssa Gutierrez was hit by a pitch,
Hannah Horton grounded out but it brought a run home. Yurchick's first collegiate hit drove in a second.
Nelson ran into a little trouble in the bottom of the fifth when a triple followed a one-out walk to tie the game at two and a double gave the Rams the lead. Yurchick replaced her with two outs in the inning and got a groundout to short to end the frame.
The Crusaders would tie the game in the top of the seventh when
Kari Jacobson led the inning off with a single and Bengston doubled to drive her home. The game looked destined for extras but the Rams put two on in the bottom half and singled up the middle for the win.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
- Both Yurchick and Jess Mott recorded their first collegiate hits, while Yurchick picked up her first collegiate RBI as well.
- Yurchick also saw her first action in the circle when she came on in relief of Nelson and went 1.2 innings and struck out one.
- From the last out in the first to the last in the fourth, Nelson retired nine straight batters.
ON DECK:
The Crusaders will head back to Kingston tomorrow to take on URI in a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
