CLERMONT, Fla. – Suffolk softball stranded the game-tying and game-winning run on base in the bottom of the seventh to slip to Trinity Texas, 2-0, Saturday afternoon at Hancock Park.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 0 | Trinity Texas 2
RECORDS: Suffolk (1-1) | Trinity Texas (6-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both sides put together 1-2-3 innings in the first before Leina Belog barreled a stand-up double to open the second stanza. The Rams did not rally around the extra base hit, however, and Suffolk stayed scoreless.
Trinity, meanwhile, managed to get on the board in the bottom of the inning. With one out a bobble by Belog at short allowed Adrienne Edwards to reach. She worked her way around on a ground out to second, and came in on a shallow base hit to right to give the hosts a 1-0 edge.
Suffolk had chances in the third, fourth and fifth, with an early baserunner. The Tigers kept the Rams off the board though to cling to its one-run advantage.
The Tigers doubled the gap in the bottom of the fifth behind Emily Vaclavik's one-run single. With two outs and a runner on second, Trinity's centerfielder knocked a base hit through the left side that was just outside of Belog's grasp, even with a diving effort, to push the deficit to 2-0.
The Rams found themselves in a jam in the bottom of the sixth as Trinity chucked the bags with just one dead. Jaclyn Davis went to her bull pen to get out of things and reliever Alexa White just did. Kelly Keane gloved a high fly to first base before White sat down Danielle Ruiz looking.
Down by two, Davis had a handful of freshman hitters take their first collegiate at bats in a big moment. With one out, Ally Cifaratta found the left side gap for a base hit and Leah Barnes drew a walk to make things interesting. Trinity called Allie Holbrook to pitch, but the fresh glove was just outside of reach of Hailey Cockrofts' single up the middle that loaded the bases. Another pinch hitter was called upon in Savannah Scripter. When the ball hit the barrel, it screamed down the first base line, but Ruiz made the jump grab and landed on first for the double play that ended the game in the Tigers' favor.
PITCHERS PICTURES
- Kennedy Reyes slipped to 0-1 on the season after allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits and two walks with a pair of punchouts to her credit.
- White came in for 0.2 of scoreless work.
- Cat Patterson picked up the victory. She held the Rams off the scoreboard for 6.1 innings. She put together a no-run, five-hit, two-walk, two-strikeout performance.
- Holbrook came in for the save with one hit allowed in 0.2 innings of action.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Suffolk's six hits came off three bats: Belog, Cifaratta and Cockroft with Belog and Cockroft each rocking a double.
- Barnes and Keane each walked once.
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk and Trinity met for the first time.
- Belog's first collegiate hit was a double, the Ram's first extra base hit of 2020.
- Belog and Cifaratta each finished with a career-high two hits.
- Cockroft matched a personal-best two hits.
POST-GAME PIC
COMING UP
Suffolk returns to action tomorrow, Sunday, March 8. In the first of two games Suffolk will face Mount Union at 9 a.m., before facing Alfred at 1:30 p.m.
