Winter Haven, FL - The Saints softball team competed today in a double header for the third day of The Spring Games, facing Hood College and Nichols College, but fell short in both.
Game One: CSS 3, Hood College 5
The Saints started their day on top after shutting down the Blazers in the outfield. Lauren Laviano (Maplewood, Minn./Mahtomedi HS) assisted Callie Casura (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial High School) to get across home plate with a hit singled to center field to make the score 1-0.
Shutting down the Blazers' runners in both the second, third, and fourth innings, the Saints met a similar fate and could not tally any more points.
That all changed when the bottom of the fifth came around, when Payton Lang (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS) doubled down the right field line, bringing in Emma Bolin (Litchfield Park, Ariz./Millennium HS) to increase their lead. Lang then advanced herself home due to a wild pitch, taking their lead to 3-0.
However, the Saints' luck ran out when the Blazers came up big in the sixth inning. A home run from the first hitter made the score 3-1, followed by a loaded base hit which got a runner through home base by an error from the Saints to make it 3-2.
A hit singled down the left field line advanced two more runners to home to take a 3-4 lead for the Blazers, and another shortly after from a sacrifice fly to make the final score an unfortunate 3-5 loss for the Saints.
Game Two: CSS 0, Nichols College 1
The Saints took on the Bison of Nichols College for the second game today, as Bolin started the game off with a single to left center, followed by Laviano who singled up the middle but couldn't make any more of the first inning.
Without getting a hit in the second inning, the Bison took advantage with a single to center field with two runners on base, in which one of them managed a run to make it 0-1.
Bolin again doubled down the left field line in the third inning, but nothing else came out of it. Katelyn Hackman (Oakdale, MN/Tartan High School) tallied her first hit of the day in the fourth, but Madi Glienke (West Fargo, N.D./West Fargo Sheyenne HS) and Aryn Blumenthal (Linwood, Minn./Forest Lake HS) weren't able to advance her.
The Saints' outfield were able to successfully shut down the Blazers the rest of the game, but had struggles of their own to capitalize. The game ended with the Saints falling short to the Bison of Nichols College 0-1.
Up Next - The Saints (4-6, 0-0) will compete against Wittenberg University (OH) and Thomas College (ME) Thursday, March 13 for the next day of The Spring Games in Florida. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
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