JERSEY CITY, N.J. (April 2, 2022) - Playing in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference contest for the first time this season and competing at home for the first time since March 16, the Saint Peter's University softball team dropped a pair of contests against Siena College, falling in game one 5-0 before losing game two 8-1 Saturday at Jaroschak Field.
The Peacocks fall to 11-17 overall and 0-2 in MAAC play while the Saints improved to 13-11 and 2-0 in the league.
Top Performers
- Junior Cara McNulty had the lone hit of the game in the first contest for the Peacocks on an infield single going 1 for 3 in the game.
- Despite being saddled with the loss, junior Taylor Rondon was solid in the circle for SPU in game one tossing a complete game allowing just four earned runs while striking out five.
- Aubrey Ketcham was fantastic in game two for SPU going 3 for 3 with three singles to be the lone Peacock with multiple hits on the day.
- Freshmen Kasidy Slusser and Dakota Pitts both had a single hit in game two combining to go 2 for 6. Slusser also came on in relief in game two in the circle and allowed just one run over the final 3.0 innings of action.
- Junior Brandi Feeney drove in the only run of the day for the Peacocks with an RBI single in the fourth inning of the second contest.
- Kourtney Ketcham also recorded a hit going 1 for 2 in the 8-1 defeat.
How It Happened (Game One)Â
- The Saints jumped ahead early in the first contest when Isabella Pardo led the game off with an infield single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then used her speed to get to third. McNulty, trying to throw Pardo out at third on the play, skipped the throw to third and allowed Pardo to score and make it 1-0.
- The big blow for Siena then came in the top of the third. After Rondon got each of the first two hitters to ground out, the Saints strung together back-to-back singles to set things up for Kyleigh Potter who deposited a ball over the wall in left field to push the lead to 4-0.
- The lone baserunner of the contest for the Peacocks was McNulty when she reached on an infield single in the fourth but was stranded at first after a strikeout.
- The score remained the same until the sixth when Siena added an unearned run after a single, a double and a two-out fielding error to add another and give the Saints their final tally of 5-0.
How it Happened (Game Two)
- After a leadoff walk and a hit batter put a pair on with one out in the second, Siena got on the board first with an RBI double.
- With two in scoring position and two outs, Sabrina Vargas stepped in and delivered a big-two RBI single to push the lead to 3-0 in the second.
- The inning didn't end there, however, as Pardo singled right after to plate Vargas and make the score 4-0.
- One inning later, the lead swelled to 6-0 on an RBI double by Emma McLaughlin and an RBI single off the bat of Jocelyn Ulrich.
- A sac fly in the fourth gave Siena a 7-0 lead and put the Saints at the verge of a run-rule victory.
- The Peacocks ensured that wouldn't be the case, however, as Slusser and Pitts each hit two-out singles to put a runner in scoring position for Feeney.
- The junior out of Cicero, N.Y., delivered with an RBI single off the glove of a diving shortstop to put SPU on the board for the first time on the day.
- With two runners on, Sophie Wilson came on to pinch hit a ripped a line drive right back up the middle that was barely stabbed by the pitcher to end the threat.
- The score remained 7-1 until the seventh when the Saints got a run back on an RBI single but were denied from adding another as Olyvia Smith hosed a runner trying to score from second to leave the deficit at 8-1.
- The Ketcham sisters both singled in the bottom half of the seventh, but it was all for naught as the Peacocks were unable to scratch a run across and fell by seven.
From the Dugout (Head Coach Chris Stelma)Â
- "We took a turn for the better at the end of game two. Aubrey Ketcham really turned the game around for us. We did a lot of learning and we played well enough to get better today. I'm happy with the path we are on and we are looking forward to next week."
Next Up
- As Sunday's contest against Seton Hall was postponed, the Peacocks will now return to the diamond Tuesday when they travel to Lewisburg, Pa., to take on Bucknell at 4:00 p.m.
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