LEESBURG, Fla. - The Saint Michael's College softball team began the season by splitting a pair of games on Friday during The Spring Games at the Sleepy Hollow Sports Complex. The Purple Knights downed the College of Staten Island (N.Y.), 6-2, in their opener before losing to Bemidji State (Minn.) University, 4-2.
DOUBLEHEADER FACTS
- Sophomore Jenna Devens (Parsippany, N.J./Parsippany), who hit a program-record and Northeast-10 Conference-leading 12 home runs in 2022, blasted her 13th career home run on Friday, tying Ashley Harkins '09 for third in program history.
- First-years CJ Davidson (Canyon Lake, Calif./Vista Murrieta), Brooke Edgerly (Morley, Mich./Morley Stanwood) and Jamie Hearn (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Country Day School) all picked up their first college hits on Friday.
- Saint Michael's met Staten Island for the first time while facing Bemidji State for their third all-time affair, and first since 2017.
GAME 1
RECORDS
- Saint Michael's (1-0), Staten Island (3-6)
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
- Davidson, 2-for-3, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 3B
- Senior Hope Hiscock (Schenectady, N.Y./Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School), 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 HP
- Junior Angelica Johns (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook), 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 3B
- Junior Marli Welter (Madison, N.J./Madison), 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB
- Sophomore Kelleigh Simpson (West Burke, Vt./Lyndon Institute), 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
OPPONENT LEADERS
- Graduate student Rianne Mayer, 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B
- Sophomore Anissa Acosta, 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 2B
- First-year Madison Edwards, 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, loss
THE ACTION
- Davidson came through with a two-run, opposite-field single in her first college plate appearance in the home half of the second inning before coming around to score on Edgerly's single up the middle.
- The Dolphins got a run back in the third on a groundout.
- Johns scored on a failed pickoff attempt in the fifth to make it 4-1, and Davidson tripled to right center later in the frame, driving home another pair.
- Acosta's RBI double in the seventh gave Staten Island late life, but Simpson induced consecutive groundouts to clinch the win.
GAME 2
RECORDS
- Saint Michael's (1-1), Bemidji State (10-8)
SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
- Davidson, 0-for-2, 1 R, 1 BB; 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R in relief
- Devens, 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR; 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R in relief
- Hearn, 1-for-3, 1 2B; 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, loss
- Johns, 2-for-3
OPPONENT LEADERS
- Junior Molly Houts, 1-for-1, 1 R, 2 BB
- Sophomore Alexa Christenson, 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 SB
- Sophomore Mariah Stevenson, 2-for-2, 1 BB
- Junior Stella Dolan, 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
THE ACTION
- Bemidji State had runners at the corners with two down in the home half of the second before senior catcher Jenica Botting (Saco, Maine/Thornton Academy) picked a runner off of third to end the frame.
- Hearn led off the third with a double in her first college plate appearance but was stranded.
- The Beavers went ahead in the bottom half, as first-year Morgan Benedict scored on a groundout.
- Three more runs came home in the fourth, as senior Emmarie Yeager's RBI double, a passed ball and Yeager's eventual steal of home made it 4-0.
- Bemidji State left the bases loaded in the fifth, and Devens swatted a two-run homer to straightaway center field in the sixth frame to halve the Purple Knights' deficit. Johns followed with a single, but Dolan fanned the next batter and never again faced a hitter representing the tying run.
NEXT SAINT MICHAEL'S GAME
- Saturday against Walsh (Ohio) University (12:30 p.m.) and Alliance (N.Y.) University (3 p.m.) at The Spring Games in Leesburg, Fla.