Newtown, Pa. - The Holy Family University softball team capped Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) play with a doubleheader split with visiting Felician College on Saturday afternoon at Helen Randle Park. The Tigers won game one by the score of 2-1, while the Golden Falcons took game two, 4-3.
In between games the Tigers honored their three seniors,
Kelsi Bunda (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury),
Sarah Chilutti (Philadelphia, Pa./Archbishop Ryan) and
Kristy Tomlinson (Philadelphia, Pa./Franklin Towne Charter), as part of Senior Day Festivities.
Holy Family is now 16-13 overall and finishes conference play at 15-11. Having already clinched a spot in next week's CACC Tournament, the Tigers currently sit in sixth place in the conference standings. Pending the results of the final conference games this weekend, Holy Family could be seeded anywhere from fifth through seventh.
Felician is now 18-19 overall and 14-10 in conference play. The Golden Falcons are currently fifth in the CACC with one more conference doubleheader to play.
Game One: Holy Family 2, Felician 1 In the opener, sophomore
Bailey Walters (Ridgecrest, Calif./Burroughs) (7-6) won her seventh game of the season in a one-run victory. Walters and freshman Ashley Owens dueled for nearly seven full innings before the Tigers won the game on a walk-off error.
With the game tied 1-1 entering the bottom half of the seventh, freshman
Taylor Favinger (Deptford, N.J./Gloucester County Inst. of Tech.) led off with a single to jump start the inning. Freshman
Koreen Orozco (Whittier, Calif./St. Paul) then reached on an error, which advanced Favinger to third.
Owens settled down and retired the next two batters before walking junior
Alexis Daubert (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) to load the bases. With the potential winning run sitting at third base, freshman
Jenna Vasquez (Newark, Del./Caravel Academy) came up and hit a hard grounder to third. The throw by Felician senior Taylor Parker was a tad wide and took senior Ciera Clark off the bag to allow Vasquez to reach base. As a result, Favinger was able to score on the play and give the Tigers a 2-1 victory.
Walters went the distance for the Tigers to earn the win as she allowed one run on four hits. She also struck out seven batters to tie her season-high. Offensively, Walters drove in the Tigers' first run of the game in the first inning after a single to center field scored Daubert.
Owens (8-10) received the loss as she allowed two runs (1 earned) in 6.2 innings of work. She scattered five hits and walked one batter on the day.
Freshman
Jennifer Trapp (Castle Rock, Colo./Douglas County) finished the game 2-for-3 with a double for the Tigers.
Game Two: Felician 4, Holy Family 3 In the later game, Felician scored four runs in the top half of the seventh inning to record the come-from-behind victory. Chilutti (1-2), who made the start for the Tigers, entered the seventh inning with a possible no-hit bid.
However, the Golden Falcons finally got a hit off Chilutti when junior Amanda Lopez led the seventh inning off with a double down the left field line. After retiring the next batter, senior Zharde Sellona reached on an error before senior Aimee Lopez drew a walk to load the bases.
With one out and the bases loaded, senior Natalie Quintanilla grounded out to score Amanda Lopez for Felician's first run of the game. After a walk to Clark to reload the bases, Parker delivered a two-run double down the left field line to tie the game at 3-3.
Senior Mercedes Montanez followed with an infield hit that drove in freshman Alicia DeFlaviis who pinch ran earlier in the inning for the go-ahead run. Montanez was then thrown out trying to reach second base on the play to end the inning.
In the bottom of the inning, Trapp gave the Tigers a chance with a one out single. However, senior Chelsea DeGuzman managed to retire the next two batters to secure the victory.
DeGuzman (4-4) went the distance and allowed three runs (2 earned) on eight hits and two walks.
Chilutti received the loss after allowing four unearned runs in the seventh inning on three hits. She held the Golden Falcons without a hit through the first six innings of the game.
Holy Family scored the game's first run in the third inning after a double by Trapp scored Daubert who reached base after being hit by a pitch. Trapp finished the game with another pair of hits (2-4) as she finished the doubleheader, 4-for-7.
The Tigers doubled their lead in the fourth when junior
Kristine Casey (Newark, Del./Caravel) scored after a failed pick-off attempt. Casey finished the game 2-for-4 with one run.
In the sixth, the Tigers tacked on another run thanks to a run scoring single by junior
Brianna Scotto (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon). Favinger scored on the play after reaching on an error earlier in the inning. Scotto tallied two hits after going 2-for-3 at the plate.
Holy Family is back in action tomorrow as the Tigers close out the regular season with a non-conference doubleheader with the University of Bridgeport. Game one is slated for 1 p.m. at Helen Randle Park.
- HFU -
