[Softball] Softball Sweeps Fayetteville St. to reach .500
By: Sam Lowder
LAURINBURG, N.C. - The St. Andrews University Softball team swept their non-conference DH at home on Saturday vs. Div. II foe Fayetteville State Univ. (N.C). SAU won game one 5-3, and game two, with a score of 8-0.
GAME 1: SAU 5, Fayetteville State 3
SAU got an early start on the scoreboard in the 3rd inning, making the score 1-0. The Knights would maintain the lead until the Broncos answered in the 6th inning with a 3-run home run to take the lead, 3-1. SAU then came back on top in the bottom of the 6th inning with a rally to score 4 additional runs, to bring the score to 5-3. The Broncos came up short in the 7th inning, providing SAU with the 5-3 win.
Lady Knights' sophomore starting pitcher, S.K. Brown (SO/Huntersville, NC), threw 5 innings allowing just 3 hits and no runs allowed. Brown pitched a solid 5 innings with no walks and 4 strikeouts to get a no-decision. Brennan Broadaway (SO/Oakboro, NC), a sophomore pitcher, finished the last two innings for the Lady Knights' allowing one hit, a three-run home run in the 6th inning, and a strikeout but got the win to go to 1-1 on the year. She is also hitting .313 on the season.
SAU outhit the Broncos 10-4 led by two Lady Knights recording multi-hit games. Leading the Knights offense going 3 for 4 with 1 RBI was freshman CF Cassie Fortner (FR/Lexington, NC). Broadaway also led the offense going 2 for 4. Freshman catcher Lily Pinto (SO/Boca Raton, FL) added a hit with 2 RBIs to help the Lady Knights come back for the win. The 6th inning rally for SAU was made possible due to hits from freshman Catcher Lucy Trujillo (FR/Nyssa, OR), junior DH Symphony Arguedas (JR/Riverside, CA), junior 1B Lexi Dawson (JR/Garland, NC), and freshman 2B Samantha Olsen (FR/Palm Coast, FL).
SAU also stole ten bases in the win led by three from Broadaway. Fortner and Trujillo both had two stolen bases as well.
GAME 2: SAU 8, FAYETTEVILLE STATE 0
SAU got out to a quick 3-0 lead in the third inning, where the Lady Knights soon followed up in the fourth inning with 2 additional runs. The Knights then pushed across 1 more run in the 5th inning resulting from a hit by Asucena Trujillo (SO/Nyssa, OR), making the score 8-0. The hit by Trujillo concluded the game due to the run rule.
Junior P Nancy Amos (JR/Huntersville, NC) pitched an impressive shutout in game two allowing only 4 hits in 5 innings. Amos had one strikeout and no walks. This improves Amos to 2-1. The Lady Knights' defense was very strong, with no errors throughout the entire game.
The Knights were led offensively by junior LF Reina Mondragon (JR/Williamston, NC) as she was 2-2. SAU performed well at the plate as eight of the ten batters all recorded a hit. Sophomore SS Ashlyn Dial (SO/Laurinburg, NC) and Fortner each drove in 2 runs apiece. Asucena Trujillo was also 1 for 1 as she drove in the last run of the game. Fortner leads the Knights with a .394 average as well.
SAU is now 5-5 on the season while Fayetteville State is 1-5.
St. Andrews is back in action tomorrow when they go to Converse College (SC) to battle the Div. II Valkyries at 12 Noon.