Pride Softball Sees Rally Fall Short in Second Game Tuesday

LEESBURG, Fla.  – Regis College was defeated 10-3 by Saint Vincent College and 7-5 by Penn State New Kensington on Tuesday, March 5 in The Spring Games.

GAME 1: Saint Vincent College 10, Regis College 3

Regis held the Bearcats to one hit in top of the first inning and then turned around in the bottom of the inning and scored after Lexi Nichols (Granby, Conn.) grounded out to second, driving in Bianca Burke (Cambridge, Mass.) with the first run of the game.

In the second inning, after a single by Jaylene Deslauriers (Taunton, Mass.) and a walk by Avery Patles (Derry, N.H.) put the Pride in scoring position, Madi Zancan (Cumberland, R.I.) singled up the middle, bringing in Deslauriers to increase the Regis lead to 2-0.

The Bearcats gained offensive momentum in the third inning, scoring four runs to take over the lead, and then they held the Pride to no hits at the bottom of the third. In the fourth inning, after a triple from Haley Bicko put the Bearcats in a scoring opportunity, April Earnest grounded out, bringing in Bicko to increase the Bearcat lead to three runs at 5-2.

The Pride earned one run in the fifth inning after Mel Rees (Middleborough, Mass.) singled to right center to drive in Nichols, who reached base with a triple.

With three hits, the Bearcats scored four runs in the top of the sixth to lead by six runs. With two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Zancan singled up the center, followed by a single by Burke that advanced Zancan. Both runners moved up one base on a wild pitch, but the Pride couldn't score as the Bearcats earned the third out of the inning.

The Bearcats earned the final run in the seventh inning to finish the game with the seven-run margin.

GAME 2: Penn State New Kensington 7, Regis College 5

Penn State New Kensington struck quickly, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning. Olivia Waldrop and Linda Shepard drove in one run each, and then Antonia Velasquez earned two RBI with a single to right field. Kali Barnett scored in the bottom of the second, after Velasquez hit a sacrifice fly to center field, to increase the Lion lead to 5-0.

The Pride responded in the top of the third inning as Rees singled to left to advance Nichols to second after she reached base on an error by the Lions. Abby Erickson (Worcester, Mass.) singled to right field, moving the runners in scoring position.

Marissa Allen (Coventry, R.I.) singled up the middle to knock Nichols in and move the runners over one base. From there Deslauriers singled to right field, with Erickson scoring on the play to bring in another run, cutting the Pride deficit to three runs at 5-2.

The Lions scored two runs in the bottom of the third to increase their advantage, but the Pride chipped away, scoring three unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth inning. Elle Picard (Lisbon, Maine) scored on a passed ball in the top of the fourth while Burke scored after a single to right field from Nichols. The Pride held the Lions scoreless in the bottom of the fourth with two strikeouts and a groundout.

In the fifth inning, Erickson led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Allen, and came around to score on an RBI single by Deslauriers, who went 4-for-4 in the game. The Pride threatened to score in both the sixth and seventh innings but stranded two runners on base each time.

Regis College (0-6) faces New England College at 4:00 p.m. and Elizabethtown College at 6:15 p.m. at Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, Fla., on Thursday, March 7.