Softball Endures Setbacks to Emmanuel, Bethany Lutheran

CAPE CORAL, Fla.- The Eastern Nazarene College softball team dropped a 10-3 decision to Emmanuel and suffered a 15-5 loss to Bethany Lutheran Monday in Florida.

The Lions move to 1-3 on the season with the two losses. The Saints and the Vikings each start the spring at 1-0 with the wins.

Sterling Germani (North Kingstown, R.I.) notched three hits and scored a run to lead Eastern Nazarene offensively. Gabby Humphreys (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) landed a pair of base knocks and crossed the plate twice on the day. Shelby Bass (Visalia, Calif.) picked up two hits, one RBI and scored a run. Paulina Gonzales (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and Kaitlyn Jimenez (Meriden, Conn.) each drove in a pair of RBIs and registered a base hit on the afternoon.

In game one, Emmanuel struck first with a run in the top of the first inning as Catherine Davis scootered home on a wild pitch.

The Saints tacked on four runs in the second inning to widen the gap to 5-0. With the bases loaded, Davis doubled to left field to drive in Marianne Halas, Brenna Gilmore and Cassey LePage. Kerrianne Vulpis followed with an RBI single to plate Davis from second base.

Emmanuel scored one run in the third frame to push its lead to 6-0. Samantha Adams tagged up and scored from third on a sacrifice fly to left field by Charlotte Powers.

Eastern Nazarene got on the board in the bottom of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 6-1. Jimenez rolled a grounder to the left side of the infield to score Humphreys from third base to pick up her second RBI of the season.

The Saints pushed across four runs in the sixth inning to reach double figures, 10-1. After Erin Walsh stole home, Halas dashed across the dish on a wild pitch. Vulpis capped off the scoring with a two-run home run to left-center.

The Lions scored twice in the bottom of the sixth narrow the margin to 10-3. Tina Corey (Canterbury, Conn.) touched the plate as Gonzales sent a groundball to the right side of the infield to record her first collegiate RBI. Rachel Henry (Lowell, Mass.) followed with a single to centerfield to drive in Germani.

Carissa Cicolini (Methuen, Mass.) pitched her third complete game of the spring and registered four strikeouts.

In Monday's second tilt, Bethany Lutheran posted four runs in the first inning and added a pair of scores in the second to increase their lead to 6-0.

Eastern Nazarene tallied one run in the top of the third to slice the margin to 6-1. Jimenez plated Kendra Brasil (Methuen, Mass.) from third with a sacrifice bunt.

The Vikings scored nine runs in the third frame to reach 15 runs in the game.

The Lions pushed across a pair of scores in the fourth as Breana Corell (Castle Rock, Colo.) collected her first collegiate hit, a solo homer to lead off the inning before Gonzales drove in Bass with an infield single.

Eastern Nazarene produced two runs in the fifth. Jimenez laced an RBI single to right-centerfield to score Humphreys from second after leading off the frame with a double. Jimenez tagged up and scampered home from third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bass.

Krystal Holl (Smithsburg, Md.) and Brasil each made their collegiate pitching debuts in the game for the Lions.

Looking ahead, Eastern Nazarene continues play in the Sunshine State with contests against Elms and Montclair State March 10.