CANTON, N.Y. – The Union College softball team kicked off Liberty League action with a double header against St. Lawrence on Saturday afternoon. The Dutchwomen lost 6-3 in game one and 7-6 in game two.
Junior
Karson Saunders was 4-7 on the afternoon, including two singles, a triple, and a homerun. She tallied 3 RBI and scored twice in the doubleheader.
Game One: St. Lawrence 6, Union 3
The Saints jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, scoring a pair of runs on three hits including a triple to open the scoring. In the bottom of the second, St. Lawrence added two more runs to lead 4-0 after two innings of play.
In the top of the fourth inning, Union responded nicely plating three runs to cut the Saints' lead to 4-3. Saunders hit a solo shot to left center to get Union on the board. This was her second home-run of the season. First-year
Jessie Rooney walked with the bases loaded to cut the Saints lead in half. Junior short-stop
Tara Hartnett flied out to right field and scored first-year
Faith Hughes from third. This was as close as Union got though.
In the bottom half of the sixth inning, St. Lawrence scored a pair of runs on a single through the right side to extend their lead back to three. This result would hold and the Saints won 6-3 in game one.
Rooney (5-2) earned her second loss of the season, throwing six innings, and allowing six runs on 12 hits. She struck out seven batters as well in the effort.
With this loss the Dutchwomen's eight game wining streak comes to an end.
Game Two: St. Lawrence 7, Union 6
Union jumped out to an early 2-0 lead to start game two. After senior
Julissa Malana reached base on an error, starting pitcher junior
Amanda Granato scored Malana on an error by the first basemen. Saunders then stepped up and singled down the right field line, scoring Granato to give Union a 2-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Saints has back to back singles before a third single scored to cut the Union lead to 2-1. St. Lawrence would score again, this time coming on a fielder's choice. The Saints grabbed their first lead of the game in the bottom of third, on a pass ball.
In the top of the fifth, the Union bats came alive as they scored four runs in the inning. Saunders tripled in Malana after she was hit by a pitch. Junior
Olivia Valery then singles in Saunders. Hughes tripled to right center, scoring Valery and first-year
Nahnny Sobetzko played Hughes on a single to right field. Union lead 6-3 after the inning had ended.
St. Lawrence would not go away and regained the lead on a four run fifth inning to grab a 7-6 lead over the Dutchwomen. The Saints hung on for the win and earned a sweep of the Dutchwomen.
Rooney (5-3) was tabbed with the loss after coming on for relief in the fifth inning. She struck out three batters in two innings of work, while allowing one run. Granato tossed four innings, and allowed six runs.
Union (9-3, 0-2) get back to work tomorrow, April 10, as they stay in the North Country to take on Clarkson University for a double header. Game one begins at 1 p.m.
