WINTER HAVEN, Fla. --- The Golden Eagle softball team wrapped their week in Florida with a doubleheader split on Friday, beating the Collge of Staten Island 5-0 before falling to St. Cloud State 7-2 on the final day of THE Spring games.
Clarion 5, College of Staten Island 0
Recap: Emma Hipps tossed a one-hit complete game shutout – her first of the season – to power the Golden Eagles over the Dolphins. The 14
th win of her career, it moved her into sole possession of third place on the program's pitching wins list, behind only Diane Whitesides (18) and April Shannon (17). Hipps struck out 10 Dolphins, marking her first double-digit strikeout game of the season.
The Golden Eagles did all of their damage in the first inning, working Dolphins starter Kennedie Ruth to the tune of two hits, three bases on balls and two hit by pitches. Clarion chased Ruth after she retired just one batter, and even that was a sharp line drive by
Tori Martrano that was pulled down in left field.
The first three Clarion batters in the first inning reached base, with
Emily Buchleitner and
Kathryn O'Horo each drawing a walk and stealing a base.
Desi Allen drove Buchleitner home with a single, but the next two runs came across via Staten Island miscues.
Rachel Helsley drew a walk to load the bases and Ruth hit
Haylie Rimmey and
Hannah Powierza in back-to-back plate appearances to make it 3-0.
Annika Smith and
Alexis Valencia drove in two more runs, with Smith lining a single to center field and Valencia hitting a grounder to shortstop for a fielder's choice.
That made the score 5-0, and Hipps made it so that the Golden Eagles didn't need any more runs to make hold up. Powierza helped the cause in the top of the second inning, helping convert a strike 'em out, throw 'em out to erase the leadoff runner from the basepaths, and Hipps allowed just one more baserunner the rest of the way – a two-out walk in the top of the third. The sophomore pitcher faced just one batter over the minimum in the final six innings.
Buchleitner and Allen each finished with two hits.
St. Cloud State 7, Clarion 2
RECAP: The final score belied how most of the game played out, as the Huskies took a 3-0 lead early on that the Golden Eagles were able to cut into significantly by the top of the fourth inning. St. SCSU scored three runs in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a leadoff triple and finishing with five hits in the frame.
Starter
Megan Anderson settled in after that, and put up a couple of zeroes as the Golden Eagles worked to get back. Allen led off the fourth inning with a walk and Rimmey followed up with a single to center field, while
Rachel Helsley bunted the pair over into scoring position. That proved to be fortuitous as Delanie Davis hit a hard shot at third base, reaching on an infield single that brought the pair home to cut the lead to 3-2.
The Huskies responded with three hits and three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, including one run due to an error by Martrano. That made the score 6-2, but the Golden Eagles had chances to cut back into the deficit. Buchleitner walked with one out in the top of the fifth and eventually ended up on third after a wild pitch, but Allen grounded out to end the inning. Rimmey was stranded at second base after a leadoff walk in the top of the sixth, and the Golden Eagles were retired 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh.
Rimmey finished 2-of-2 at the plate with a run scored and a walk, reaching base in all three plate appearances in the second game. Anderson had her longest outing of the season, throwing six innings.
