CANTON, N.Y. - The Union College softball team (11-17, 2-6 Liberty League) dropped a pair of games at St. Lawrence University (13-11, 6-4 Liberty League) on Saturday afternoon at Saints Softball Field. Game one of the doubleheader ended in a 2-1 heartbreaker in the 10th inning, while game two saw the visiting Garnet Chargers fall 5-2.
Sophomore Clara Cleaves pitched 10.2 innings across two games allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits with eight strikeouts.
Game One: Union 1, St. Lawrence 2
Union had a chance early in the first with two runners on, but could not convert. The Saints put runners at second and third in the fourth with no outs, but a strikeout looking from Cleaves followed by two quick outs kept the game scoreless through four.
Union kept the Saints off the board again in the seventh, stranding two runners and forcing the game into extra innings.
Going into the tenth inning, first-year
Daniella Nocera pinch ran for Cleaves as the runner on base. A sac bunt from sophomore
Amy FitzPatrick moved Nocera to third and a sac fly to right by sophomore
Sophia Burynski scored the first run of the game. The Saints responded in the bottom of the frame with a bunt single to move Maeve Thompson to third. An error saw the tying run cross the plate. An RBI double by Allison Koft saw the hosts take a 2-1 win.
Cleaves pitched all nine innings with six hits and two runs, one earned, with eight strikeouts to fall to 6-8 on the season.
Game Two: Union 2, St. Lawrence 5
The Saints continued where they left off in game one, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, before tacking on two more in the bottom of the fourth.
A bases-clearing triple made it a five-run game in the bottom of the fifth. Union responded in the top of the sixth with two runs scored. A fielding error and a hit by pitch, respectively, saw seniors
Ellie Wintringer and
Elizabeth Werner reach base with no outs. A fielder's choice kept runners at first and second before FitzPatrick cleared the bases with a triple to center field.
First-year
Amelia Brancazio made the start for game two and pitched 4.1 innings with five runs, all earned, on five hits, with three strikeouts. Cleaves pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief with one hit.
Union continues the road stretch with a doubleheader at SUNY Cobleskill on Tuesday. First pitch for the doubleheader is slated for 3:00 p.m. at Fighting Tiger Park.