Softball Splits with Division-II Ursuline

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – The University of Saint Joseph softball defeated Division-II Ursuline 4-3 Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader before dropping the second 13-2 at the Fast Pitch Dreams event in Myrtle Beach, S.C..

St. Joseph is 3-1 after two days of its spring training trip. Ursuline finished play in South Carolina 6-4.

In the opener, the teams played three scoreless innings before USJ took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Winning pitcher Emily Hummel (Hebron, Conn.) led off with a double to left field and advanced to third when Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) reached on an error. Mary Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) singled to left center to drive in Hummel and twin sister Patti Sciglimpaglia (Norwalk, Conn.) singled to right to score Sullivan.

Ursuline scored two right away in the bottom half of the inning, but the Blue Jays topped that with the deciding runs in the top of the fifth. Haley McCall (Lebanon, Conn.) doubled to right center and Stephanie Valerio (Wolcott, Conn.) tripled to a similar spot to drive in McCall. Hummel then hit a sacrifice fly to short right field and Valerio tagged up and barely beat the throw home.

Ursuline pulled within 4-3 with a run in the bottom of the fifth and threatened to tie in the seventh. The Arrows had runners at first (Jayla Garner) and third (Samantha Roberts) with two out and tried to pull off a double steal to tie the game. But Hummel threw to Valerio near second base who ran Garner back toward first and tagged her an instant before Roberts touched the plate, ending the game.

Hummel scattered seven hits and walked one in a complete game to earn her second win in two days. Valerio had two hits and made nine putouts and three assists at shortstop.

Ursuline scored three runs in the first inning of the second game and 10 more in the second. USJ scored its two runs in the second. Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and Emily Vigue (Lebanon, Conn.) started the inning with doubles and Jocelyn Grady (Meriden, Conn.) had a one-out, RBI-single.

Saint Joseph continues its trip with three games Mon. March 18 beginning with a 9:30 a.m. game against Grinnell.