[Softball] Knights Softball sweeps Monarchs, recording first wins of the season

Knights Softball sweeps Monarchs, recording first wins of the season

  

February 5, 2019

Samantha Lowder, Sports Information

  

LAURINBURG, N.C. – The St. Andrews Softball team recorded their first wins on the season on Tuesday afternoon with a double header sweep over nearby Division III, Methodist University. SAU won in a close match up in the first game with a score of 6-5 and run-ruled the Monarchs in the second game, 9-1.

 

GAME 1: SAU 6 MU 5

 

St. Andrews would be the first to get on the board in the bottom of the 2nd inning after a S.K. Brown (JR/Huntersville, NC) double to right field, scoring Asucena Trujillo (JR/Nyssa, OR), who earlier got on base with a single to right field. The Monarchs would respond with three runs in the top of the 3rd after several SAU errors.

 

Senior Rachel Swartwood (SR/Wilmington, NC) singled in the 4th inning to start the Knights off, when Nikki Santiago (SR/Gainesville, FL) bunted the ball to third base and was able to reach first base after an error on the throw. Swartwood and Santiago would both score off the wild throw, to give Santiago an in-the-park homerun. The Monarchs had three errors in the 4th inning which resulted in 2 runs for the Knights.

 

The Knights would build off a 6-3-5 double play in the 5th inning, where Brennan Broadaway (JR/Oakboro, NC) fielded the ground ball and threw the ball at Lexi Dawson (SR/Garland, NC) at first base for the first put out and Dawson fired the ball to third baseman Lily Pinto (JR/Boca Raton, FL) who tagged out the runner approaching the bag. Swartwood would lead off the Knights once again with a single, followed by a single by Cassie Fortner (SO/Lexington, NC) and Nikki Santiago. Santiago's hit would once again cause a Monarchs error, scoring Swartwood and Fortner.

 

The top of the seventh inning saw the Monarchs battling back and tying the game 5-5 with their two runs in the final inning. St. Andrews would answer with a lead-off single by junior Taylor Siersma (JR/Zeeland, MI) followed by another Swartwood single. Fortner would then single to short and Brennan Broadaway sealed the game with a walk-off sacrifice fly to score Swartwood to give the Knights the 6-5 win.

 

S.K. Brown controlled the mound for the full game, allowing 6 hits and recording 3 strike outs. The Knights were led by senior Rachel Swartwood who recorded a perfect offensive game going 3 for 3. Senior Nikki Santiago also had a strong game collecting a team-high of 3 RBI's.

 

GAME 2: SAU 9 MU 1

 

Game two was dominated by the Knights, with the first runs coming in at the bottom of the second inning for SAU. Junior S.K. Brown batted the first run in with a single to left field, scoring senior Lexi Dawson who was on third. The Monarchs would score a run in the top of the 3rd, but the Knights got back to the plate and score 5 runs in the bottom of the 3rd. Sophomore Cassie Fortner recorded a double in the bottom of the 3rd and Brown collected a triple against Methodist.

 

The fourth inning was scoreless for the Monarchs, but the Knights continued to push more runs across home plate. Swartwood would begin the Knights with a single to left field and Fortner then reached base on a Monarchs error at second base. Freshman Carolyn Ashley (FR/ Fuquay-Varina, NC) bunted the runners around and put them in perfect position for Broadaway, as she singled to center. Two runs would score off Broadaway's single and Siersma would follow with a single to right, scoring Broadaway.

 

The Monachs were unable to score a run in the top of the 5th, allowing St. Andrews to take the 9-1 win in 5 innings.

 

The Knights were led offensively by S.K. Brown and Taylor Siersma, each going 2 for 3. Brown and Broadaway recorded 3 RBI's each, while Siersma tallied 2.

 

St. Andrews improves to 2-4 and will next be in action on Saturday, February 9th, as they host USC-Beaufort at 1 and 3.