SPARKILL, N.Y. — D'Youville (11-9, 1-1 ECC) split their doubleheader against St. Thomas Aquinas (9-9, 3-1 ECC) on Friday at Spartan Field, securing a 4–1 victory in the first game before narrowly losing 11–10 in the second.
In the opener, it was a pitchers' battle for the first three innings, but the fourth inning saw
Annie Jorgenson (Victoria, B.C. / Belmont SS) single up the middle, setting the stage for
Frankie Morris (Lancaster, N.Y. / Lancaster) to double to left field, driving in Jorgenson for the first run. D'Youville led 1–0 at the end of the fourth inning.
The fifth inning featured
Danielle Fenlong (Georgetown, Ontario / Christ the King SS) walking, and
Mikayla Hussar (West Seneca, N.Y. / West Seneca West) singling to advance the runners. Jorgenson then doubled to left center, bringing both Fenlong and Hussar home, extending the lead to 3–1 after the Spartans responded with a run.
During the sixth inning,
Gabby Moreno (San Diego, Calif. / Rancho Buena Vista) singled, followed by
Shannon Howes (Palgrave, Ontario / St. Thomas Aquinas).
Taylor Stronciski (Winnipeg, Manitoba / College Beliveau), pinch-running for Moreno, scored on a fielder's choice, increasing D'Youville's advantage to 4–1. The seventh inning remained scoreless, solidifying the win for D'Youville with a final score of 4–1.
Summer Clark (Williamsville, N.Y. / Williamsville East) pitched a complete game, going 7 innings and allowing only 1 earned run, facing 29 batters and conceding 8 hits while striking out 6.
Annie Jorgenson finished with three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs, while
Mikayla Hussar recorded two hits and scored once.
Frankie Morris added two hits and drove in one run with a double.
In the second game, D'Youville took an early lead when
Shannon Howes scored on a wild pitch after reaching base on a walk, but the Spartans quickly responded with a three-run homer, ending the first inning with a 3–1 advantage.
D'Youville surged in the second inning, scoring seven runs, beginning with
Gabby Moreno reaching on an error, followed by
Danielle Fenlong's two-RBI single.
Jorja Sandilands (Brooklin, Ontario / Brooklin) hit a grand slam, bringing the score to 8–7 in favor of D'Youville after STAC added four runs in their half.
The fourth inning saw the Saints extend its lead to 9–7 with
Isabella Mancino's (Wynantskill, N.Y. / Averill Park) sacrifice fly driving in Sandilands. In the sixth inning,
Frankie Morris scored on Mancino's double, increasing the lead to 10–7. However, STAC narrowed the gap to 10–9 before capitalizing on a throwing error and a single in the final inning, securing two runs to clinch the game at 11–10.
Kendal Lehnen (Sherrill, N.Y. / Vernon Verona Sherrill) pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing seven earned runs on five hits, with three walks and one strikeout.
Hailee Jenkins (Ontario, Canada / Fenelon Falls SS) took over from Lehnen and pitched five innings, giving up two earned runs on nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
Looking ahead, D'Youville will take to the road to face Mercy University on Saturday, March 28, at noon in Dobbs Ferry, New York. Game one will be free to viewers as FloCollege's Game of the Week.
