Press Release Written by Nathan Foltz
SAINT LEO, Fla. - - Fifteenth-ranked Saint Leo swept the Wilmington University softball team on Monday, winning Game 1 6-0 before capping the night with an 11-2 victory in Game 2 at Mary Cannon Cabot Stadium in West Florida.
The bats were cold again against an excellent Saint Leo pitching staff, scoring two runs on four hits between the two contests. The Wildcats hung with the Lions for most of the first game, but the offense came to life late in Game 1 and never looked back.
GAME 1:
The offense never got going for the Wildcats, as only a swinging bunt up the first base line by Krista Brunson in the top of the fifth went into the box score as a hit.
The Lions hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first, but Maddie Vollmar settled in over the next few innings to keep the home team in check. Saint Leo tacked on a second run with a two-out double in the fifth, and then added another four in the sixth to put the game out of reach for Wilmington.
It was the fourth time in the first seven games of the year that Wilmington struck out at least eight times. The team only reached that total twice in 55 games last year.
Vollmar's final line was 5.2 innings pitched, allowing six runs on seven hits with five walks and three strikeouts, though four of the hits she allowed came in the sixth. Olivia Hitchens came on in relief to retire the only hitter she faced.
GAME 2:
Saint Leo picked up where they left off in Game 1, setting the Wildcats down 1-2-3 in the top of the first before scoring runs on back-to-back two-out doubles to take a 2-0 lead. The lead ballooned to 6-0 in the second, and then 10-0 by the end of the third, as the Lions capitalized on some walks and defensive miscues by Wilmington.
The Wildcats finally got on the board in the top of the fourth, with freshman Allie Tournas coming through and delivering a two-run single to center for her first collegiate hit. Tournas was stranded on second to end the inning, and Wilmington couldn't plate another run in the fifth to keep the game going after Saint Leo went up by eight, 11-2, in the bottom of the fourth.
Kasey Xenidis took the loss, giving up six runs in 1.2 innings on six hits and two walks. Olivia Hitchens, Karen Sickle, Clara Babyak, and Julia Scannapieco combined to cover the final 2.1 innings.
Jess Reed, Allie Tournas, and Madi Shama each had a hit for the Wildcats, with Shama's the only one going for extra bases as a fifth-inning double.
UP NEXT:
Wilmington will look to get back on track tomorrow at Embry-Riddle University, with the doubleheader's first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
