Thomas College Softball Blanked by D'Youville; Defeat Kalamazoo in Extras

Recap, photo courtesy of Thomas College

CLERMONT, Fla. – The Thomas College softball team split two games on Tuesday with a 5-0 loss to D'Youville College and an 11-10 extra innings win over Kalamazoo College.

Game 1: D'Youville 5, Thomas 0

After a scoreless three innings, the Spartans capitalized on two Thomas miscues to start the fourth.  Back-to-back singles plated three runs for an early 3-0 lead. In the next frame, D'Youville extended the lead to 5-0, finishing the scoring on a two-run homerun.

Sydney LeBourveau (Jericho, Vt.) finished a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish for Thomas.

Alexa Haberer kept the Terriers off the board all game in seven innings, five hits, and no runs.

Haley Littlefield (Mt. Desert Island, Maine) shouldered the loss in 5.1 innings, scattering eight hits, and five runs (two earned).

Game 2: Thomas 11, Kalamazoo 10 – 9 innings

The Hornets pushed across three runs in the first two innings to take a 3-0 advantage.  Kayla Bess (Madison, Maine) swatted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit to two.  Kalamazoo looked to pull away in the next frame on a two-run homerun to make it 5-1.  The Terriers clawed back to make it 5-2 on a double from LeBourveau.

After going up 6-2, the Terriers responded with three runs in the fourth and four in the fifth to take a 9-6 lead.  Anna Piirainen (West Paris, Maine) and LeBouveau got Thomas going with an RBI single and double.  In the fifth, Abby Nielsen (North Yarmouth, Maine) scored on a fielder's choice, followed by a two-RBI double by Lexi Colpack (Franklin, N.H.), and another RBI single from Piiraninen.

Kalamazoo rallied right back in the top half of the sixth on three runs to force extra innings on back-to-back singles.

Into the top of the eighth, the Hornets took an early lead on a sacrifice bunt to score the runner.  Thomas answered back in the home half of the inning on a RBI single from Katlyn Coulter (Jefferson, N.H.) to force another extra frame. 

On the mound in the ninth, Coulter kept the Hornets off the board to keep the game tied.

With Bess on third, Allie Gregoire (Kennebunk, Maine) executed the sacrifice squeeze bunt allowing Bess to score to earn the 11-10 victory.

Coulter was given the win on the mound in relief for Thomas in four innings, allowing four hits, and one run.  Breanna Whitmarsh (Puyallup, Wash.) got the no decision in five innings, 12 hits, and eight runs (seven earned).

Keelin McManus took the loss for Kalamazoo in 3.1 innings of relief, giving up two hits.

The Terriers will complete their spring trip with a tripleheader on Wednesday with St. Olaf, Luther, and Loras.