WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Atlantic softball team dropped a pair of games at home against No. 14-ranked Saginaw Valley State on Sunday.
The 'Fish mustered six hits and several baserunners in game one, but they could not come through with a clutch hit. SVSU capitalized on a three-run second inning and PBA never recovered, losing game one 5-0. PBA was treated to a stellar pitching performance from
Lauren Allen in game two, but some errors allowed two unearned runs to score. The Sailfish offense came up empty as the 'Fish fell 2-0.
The 'Fish are back at home on Thursday, playing a doubleheader against Central Missouri at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Game One – SVSU: 5, PBA: 0
Despite racking up six hits, PBA couldn't find a way to bring any runs across the plate, leaving eight runners stranded.
The Cardinals took the lead in the second inning. Emma Bolding, pinch running for Olivia Elliott, crossed home on a double from Kenzie Bromley. Bromley then scored thanks to a triple by Ella Schneider, who was brought in by Kate Pnacek's single. By the end of the second, SVSU was up 3-0.
In the sixth inning, SVSU's Emma Helvie hit a two-run homer, scoring Ella Reifschneider to extend the lead to 5-0. The 'Fish couldn't close the gap, and SVSU held their advantage until the final out.
Marli Szierer and
Miranda Rollins each contributed hits for the 'Fish, but the team couldn't capitalize. Szierer went 1-for-3, and
Rylee Little also added a hit in her three at-bats while pitching 5 2/3 innings, striking out five, but giving up five earned runs.
Kierea Smits provided 1.1 innings of solid relief, striking out one without giving up a hit or run.
Game Two – PBA: 5, FC: 2
Dianna Montidoro managed to reach base once for PBA, but the 'Fish couldn't muster any hits throughout the seven innings against SVSU's pitching.
Saginaw Valley State took advantage of a Sailfish miscue in the second inning, with a pinch runner scoring on an RBI single up the middle for a 1-0 lead. In the seventh, another fielding error allowed SVSU to tack on an unearned insurance run, pushing their lead to 2-0.
The 'Fish had chances but couldn't capitalize. In the fifth inning,
Holly Frankl was hit by a pitch, and
Lauren O'Brien reached on an error, putting two runners on. Unfortunately, PBA couldn't bring them around, ending the inning with a strikeout. The Sailfish only drew one walk and couldn't find any hits, leaving runners in scoring positions stranded.
Szierer shone defensively with six assists at third base, while Montidoro added four assists at shortstop.
Lauren Allen pitched a complete game for PBA, allowing seven hits and striking out one. Little also got on base once with a walk in her three plate appearances.
Allen's complete game saw her throw 7 innings, allowing 7 hits and 2 unearned runs, with no walks and 1 strikeout. She forced 18 groundouts, demonstrating her knack for keeping the ball low and in play.
