LEESBURG, Fla. (3/11/23) – The Franklin Pierce softball teams continued their winning ways on day three of the Spring Games in Leesburg, Florida, defeating regional foes Alliance University and St. Thomas Aquinas University by respective scores of 5-2 and 6-4.

The sweep of the opposition improves Pierce softball to 12-5 overall. Thomas Aquinas drops their first game of the season (3-1), while Alliance continues the search for their first win (0-6).

GAME #1: vs. Alliance University

After yielding the game's first run to the Warriors in the bottom of the first, the Ravens would have the answer in the top of the second. From third base, sophomore infielder Lita Vorseth (Mesa, Ariz.) would sneak her way home via a steal just prior to a fly-out to right by junior Susannah Campos (Lemoore, Calif.), making it 1-0 for the Ravens.  

After a third-inning hiatus for both squads, the scoring would return in the bottom of the fourth, with AU gaining a 2-1 edge on a Pierce fielding error. However, as was the case earlier in the game, the Ravens responded in the next half inning. With a runner at third yet again, Susannah Campos collected the RBI this time around on a sacrifice bunt, tying the game at 2-all. As a pinch runner following a next at-bat walk, junior Molly Magnette (Ayer, Mass.) would restore the Raven lead on an AU passed ball. With the upper hand, Pierce would not look back the rest of the way through.

Haley Bigwood (Athol, Mass.) and Melissa Konopinski (Butler, N.J.) capped the contest's scoring in the seventh frame, beginning with a perfectly placed RBI triple from Bigwood that plated senior Ari Rodriguez (Clinton, Mass.) all the way from first. To add more security, Konopinski would later score Bigwood with a sacrifice groundout to the AU second baseman, completing the job with the 5-2 final score.

Junior pitcher Sabrina Gonzalez (Chandler, Ariz.) entered in the fourth inning in relief, and claimed her third victory of the season after tossing four innings with one run allowed on one hit, along with three walks and three strikeouts. Fellow junior Abbey Poirot (Winstead, Conn.) earned the start in the circle, allowing one run on two hits with a pair of strikeouts and four walks.

GAME #2: vs. St. Thomas Aquinas

Neither team would get things going in the first inning, but it would be Pierce that struck first in the bottom of the second. With two runners in scoring position, sophomore Bella Williams (Phoenix, Ariz.) scored the lead runner for the Ravens with an RBI single to left field. However, the Spartans would return the favor in the top of the third, plating their first of the day in the exact same fashion.

Deadlocked at 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth, Bella Williams had apparently picked her spot on the field as she helped Pierce back into the lead with a solo homer over the left field fence. After holding Thomas Aquinas scoreless in the top of the sixth, the Raven offense would explode for four more runs in the bottom half. Following a pair of singles to start out from sophomore Lita Vorseth and freshman Hannah Wodecki (Southampton, Mass.), a throwing error by the Spartan catcher on an attempted steal by Vorseth manufactured the Ravens' first run, scoring pinch runner Kierra Warrix (Indianapolis, Ind.). With Vorseth now stationed at third, senior Hailey Melchert (Lake Orion, Mich.) brought her home with a single to left field, making it a 4-1 ballgame. However, with two runners on two batters later, Bella Williams continued to dominate with another two RBI off an infield single down the third base line, eventually cruising her way to second base on the throw to make it 6-1 Ravens.

In the top of the seventh inning, Thomas Aquinas kept Pierce on high alert as they staged a brief comeback. With two runners on, and two outs, consecutive scoring singles would bring the score to 6-4, which included a shot into right field that delivered two of the three runs home. Despite the effort, though, the Ravens would grab the final out of the game before any more damage could be dealt, escaping with the 6-4 victory to close out the third day in Florida.

It was a huge day for freshman Savannah Arreguin (Pacoima, Calif.), who claimed her first collegiate victory over the Spartans after tossing five full innings with one walk, one strikeout, and one run allowed on five hits. Sabrina Gonzalez pitched two innings of relief in the effort, surrendering three runs on four hits, walking two batters with one strikeout to earn the save.

Softball will enjoy a day in the Sunshine State before returning to action this Monday, March 13^th for a pair of matchups against Missouri-St. Louis and Bloomfield, with first pitch of game one scheduled for 11:30 a.m.