KISSIMMEE, Fla. — The College of St. Scholastica softball team closed out its Spring Break trip at The Spring Games on Friday with a split, defeating Russell Sage College before falling to Dean College. The Saints finish their Florida trip with a 4–8 overall record and will now have a break in the schedule before returning home later this month.
St. Scholastica opened the day with a strong all-around performance, using five runs in the first three innings and a complete-game effort in the circle to defeat Russell Sage College 5–1.
The Saints struck early in the top of the first inning. Sami Ernst (Forest Lake, MN./Forest Lake HS) started the rally with a bunt single before Kaylei Greene (San Bernardino, CA/Summit HS) and Ally Breidenbach (St. Cloud, MN/Apollo HS) helped load the bases. Katelyn Hackman (Oakdale, MN/Tartan HS) delivered the first run-scoring hit of the game, and Payton Lang (Lakeville, MN/Lakeville South HS) was later hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to push the lead to 2–0.
CSS broke the game open in the third inning. After Breidenbach reached and Hackman singled again, Lang dropped down a bunt single to load the bases. Anna Azure (Brooklyn Park, MN/Osseo HS) then delivered the biggest hit of the game, ripping a bases-clearing double to left field that scored three runs and gave the Saints a 5–0 advantage.
Russell Sage scored its lone run in the bottom of the third, but freshman Bailey Ellison (Chaska, MN/Chaska HS) kept the Saints in control the rest of the way. Ellison tossed a complete game, allowing just one run on six hits without issuing a walk to earn the victory in the circle.
Offensively, Hackman led the Saints with three hits and an RBI, while Ernst and Greene each recorded two hits. Azure finished with three RBIs on her third-inning double.
In the final game of the trip, St. Scholastica battled but came up short in a 3–1 loss to Dean College.
Dean took an early lead in the first inning on a solo home run, but the Saints answered in the fourth. Victoria Nelson (Lake Elmo, MN/Mahtomedi HS) reached on a walk and later came around to score when Bailey Gleich (Camas, WA/Union HS) lined an RBI single to right field, tying the game at 1–1.
The game remained tied until the sixth inning when Dean strung together a pair of hits to plate two runs and take a 3–1 lead.
Aleah Shogren (Bemidji, MN/Bemidji HS) delivered a solid outing for the Saints in the circle, pitching a complete game and allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out four.
Rita Langford (Webster, MN/Northfield Senior HS) led the Saints offensively with two hits, while Hackman added a double as part of the five-hit CSS effort.
St. Scholastica concludes its Spring Break schedule with a 4–8 record and will return to action on March 28 when the Saints are scheduled to host UW–Stout in their home opener, weather permitting.
