Lancers Falter In Doubleheader Against St. Francis
April 13, 2023 at 10:14 p.m.
Lancers Falter In Doubleheader Against St. Francis
By Grant Cook-
The Lancers (6-21, 5-17 CL), who were playing for the second consecutive day, struggled to match the Cougars offensive output as they dropped game one 9-1 and game two 11-3.
Cassie Hayes laid claim to the first hit of the afternoon in the top of the first inning, but it would be USF (10-18, 4-14 CL) who turned the game in their favor in the home half of the second.
A one-out homerun gave the Cougars the 1-0 advantage and a pair of unwieldy bounces aided USF in doubling their lead three batters later.
Laikyn Lowe had the lone Grace hit in the third inning with a double to left field, but any chance of a rally was squelched by the Cougars. In the bottom of the inning USF added three more runs to their lead.
In the fourth inning Bree Gardinier got the Lancers on the board. The junior catcher eyed down an 0-2 pitch and blasted her third home run of the season over the center field fence.
Grace was unable to produce any more offense however, and the Cougars added four more runs to secure the 9-1 victory.
In the second game of the Crossroads League double header, the Cougars had their first four batters reach base safely. Kiersten Fickas responded with poise in the circle and limited USF to just two runs as she notched a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
Gardinier worked a walk in the second inning and came around to score for the second time on the afternoon after Montana Brincks connected on a double that reached the outfield fence.
In the third inning the Lancers captured their first lead of the day. Taylor Hodgen and Jeri Ellis each earned a one-out hit. Hodgen came in to score after a sacrifice from Cassie Hayes and Ellis scored after Gardinier hit a double for her second RBI of the day.
The Lancers 3-2 lead was short lived though as the Cougars used six hits to plate four runs and grab hold of a 6-3 advantage in the third inning. Three more runs for USF in the fourth gave them a convincing grip on the game.
The Lancers scattered three base runners over the final innings but were unable to close the gap on USF, falling by a final score of 11-3
Gardinier was the standout for the Lancers squad as she reached base safely four times with a home run and two RBIs.
Grace will be back in action for two more doubleheader dates to conclude the week.
The Lancers will travel to Spring Arbor on Friday before welcoming Bethel on Saturday afternoon as they look for the season sweep over the Pilots.
The Lancers (6-21, 5-17 CL), who were playing for the second consecutive day, struggled to match the Cougars offensive output as they dropped game one 9-1 and game two 11-3.
Cassie Hayes laid claim to the first hit of the afternoon in the top of the first inning, but it would be USF (10-18, 4-14 CL) who turned the game in their favor in the home half of the second.
A one-out homerun gave the Cougars the 1-0 advantage and a pair of unwieldy bounces aided USF in doubling their lead three batters later.
Laikyn Lowe had the lone Grace hit in the third inning with a double to left field, but any chance of a rally was squelched by the Cougars. In the bottom of the inning USF added three more runs to their lead.
In the fourth inning Bree Gardinier got the Lancers on the board. The junior catcher eyed down an 0-2 pitch and blasted her third home run of the season over the center field fence.
Grace was unable to produce any more offense however, and the Cougars added four more runs to secure the 9-1 victory.
In the second game of the Crossroads League double header, the Cougars had their first four batters reach base safely. Kiersten Fickas responded with poise in the circle and limited USF to just two runs as she notched a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
Gardinier worked a walk in the second inning and came around to score for the second time on the afternoon after Montana Brincks connected on a double that reached the outfield fence.
In the third inning the Lancers captured their first lead of the day. Taylor Hodgen and Jeri Ellis each earned a one-out hit. Hodgen came in to score after a sacrifice from Cassie Hayes and Ellis scored after Gardinier hit a double for her second RBI of the day.
The Lancers 3-2 lead was short lived though as the Cougars used six hits to plate four runs and grab hold of a 6-3 advantage in the third inning. Three more runs for USF in the fourth gave them a convincing grip on the game.
The Lancers scattered three base runners over the final innings but were unable to close the gap on USF, falling by a final score of 11-3
Gardinier was the standout for the Lancers squad as she reached base safely four times with a home run and two RBIs.
Grace will be back in action for two more doubleheader dates to conclude the week.
The Lancers will travel to Spring Arbor on Friday before welcoming Bethel on Saturday afternoon as they look for the season sweep over the Pilots.
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