EASTON, Pa. – The Holy Cross softball team opened conference play with a doubleheader at Lafayette on Mar. 22. The Crusaders dropped both games to the Leopards, game one 3-2 in eight innings and game two 9-1 in five innings.
GAME ONE: CRUSADERS 2, LEOPARDS 3 (FINAL)
STARTING IN THE CIRCLE:
- Holy Cross: Sophia Roncone (L, 2-7), 1.2 innings pitched, two hits allowed, two runs, one earned, four strikeouts.
- Lafayette: Makayla Lecky, 7.0 innings pitched, eight hits allowed, two runs, one earned, one strikeout.
IN RELIEF:
- Holy Cross: Jordan Goedel, 6.0 innings pitched, five hits allowed, one run, one earned, six strikeouts.
- Lafayette: Marisa Powell (W, 2-3), 1.0 innings pitched.
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
- Ava Gambichler: 1-for-3, one RBI.
- Katie Harrington: 2-for-4, one double, one home run, one run scored, two RBIs.
- Caroline Hall: 2-for-4, one double, one RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Leopards got on the board in the bottom of the first with a Katie Harrington RBI double to right field.
- Sophomore Ava Gambichler tied the game 1-1 in the top of the second with an RBI single to right center field to score senior captain Emma Fong.
- The Crusaders took the lead in the top of the eighth (extra innings) with senior captain Jena Whipple putting down a sacrifice bunt RBI, reaching first on the fielder's choice, to score teammate Morgan Kane on the play. Lafayette responded in the bottom of the inning with Harrington cracking a lead-off solo home run to right center. The Leopards walked it off with Caroline Hall hitting an RBI double to right center for the 3-2 win over the Crusaders.
GAME TWO: CRUSADERS 1, LEOPARDS 9 (FINAL)
STARTING IN THE CIRCLE:
- Holy Cross: Sophia Roncone (L, 2-8), 3.2 innings pitched, eight hits allowed, seven runs, seven earned, one strikeout.
- Lafayette: Parker Rowden (W, 2-4), 5.0 innings pitched, two hits allowed, one run, one earned, five strikeouts.
IN RELIEF:
- Holy Cross: Avery Toddings, 0.2 innings pitched, four hits allowed, two runs, two earned.
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
- Ali Sniegocki: 2-for-3.
- Regan Dillon: 1-for-3, one home run run, one run scored, two RBIs.
- Olivia Catalina: 2-for-3, one double, two runs scored, one RBI.
- Jocelyn O'Keefe: 1-for-3, one triple, one run scored, one RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- In the top of the third, junior Anna Brait hit a sacrifice fly RBI to score teammate Brooke Ventrelle from third base for the 1-0 lead. The Leopards equalized in the bottom of the inning with a run scored on a wild pitch.
- Lafayette took the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning scoring six runs on a home run, a double and two singles for the 7-1 result.
- The Leopards furthered their lead in the bottom of the fifth with a Jocelyn O'Keeffe RBI triple to right field. Mary Grace O'Neill hit an RBI bunt scoring O'Keefe to invoke the run rule and take the 9-1 win in favor of Lafayette in five innings.
UP NEXT:
- The Crusaders return to action on Sunday, Mar. 23 for the final game of the series with Lafayette at Metzgar Fields in Easton, Pa.
- First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS
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