MORRISTOWN, N.J. — The St. Elizabeth University softball team split its home doubleheader against Baruch on Wednesday afternoon, falling 6-5 in the opener before responding with a dominant 9-2 victory in the nightcap at Morristown, N.J.
The Eagles showed resilience throughout the day, nearly rallying in the first game before breaking through in a big way in Game Two behind a balanced offensive attack and strong pitching in relief.
Game One: Baruch 6, St. Elizabeth 5
St. Elizabeth jumped out to an early lead in the opener, scoring three times in the bottom of the first inning.
Isabell Edwards got the Eagles on the board with an RBI double to right center, Josilynn Garcia followed with an RBI single up the middle, and another run crossed on a Baruch throwing error to give St. Elizabeth a 3-1 advantage after one.
Baruch answered with two runs in the third to even the score at 3-3, and the game remained tied until the Bearcats broke through in the sixth inning with three runs to take a 6-3 lead.
The Eagles refused to go away. In the bottom of the sixth, Deanna McIntosh came through with a pinch-hit RBI single to score Savannah Vanwinkle and cut the deficit to 6-4. St. Elizabeth threatened again in the seventh, loading the bases and pushing across another run on a fielder's choice by Vanwinkle, but Baruch was able to escape and hold on for the narrow win.
Hanos paced the Eagles offensively in Game One, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. Garcia also collected two hits and drove in a run, while Vanwinkle finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI, and a walk. Edwards added an RBI double in the first inning.
Game Two: St. Elizabeth 9, Baruch 2
The Eagles bounced back in emphatic fashion in the second game, erasing an early deficit and taking control with nine unanswered runs over the final four innings.
After Baruch built a 2-0 lead through the top of the third, St. Elizabeth began its comeback in the bottom half of the inning. Isabella Hanos singled and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Josilynn Garcia to trim the deficit to 2-1.
The Eagles seized the lead for good in the fourth inning with three runs. Deanna McIntosh tied the game with an RBI bunt single, Hanos followed with an RBI single to left, and Jadyn Barker added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.
St. Elizabeth continued to pour it on in the fifth. Kara Reyes delivered an RBI single off the bench, Savannah Vanwinkle followed with an RBI single to center, and Grace Bobbie brought home another run with an RBI groundout as the Eagles stretched the lead to 7-2.
The Eagles added two more in the sixth to put the game away. With the bases loaded, Bobbie lined a two-run single to center, scoring Mia Testa and Garcia to cap the scoring at 9-2.
Vanwinkle led the way offensively in Game Two, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored, an RBI, and a walk. Bobbie drove in a game-high three runs, while Hanos added two hits, an RBI, and a run scored. Garcia finished with a hit, an RBI, and two runs scored.
In the circle, Jazmin Frias was outstanding in relief, tossing four hitless innings with two strikeouts to earn the win. Gabby Cummings started and worked the first three innings before Frias shut the door and helped secure the split.
