Pitcher's duel and hitter's paradise lift Griffins over Lindenwood
St. Louis, Mo. - Fontbonne softball has now won three straight games after defeating Lindenwood University 3-0 in a pitcher's dual that was followed up with a 9-8 eight-inning sweep of the Lions. The wins put the Griffins at 6-9 overall before they open St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Thursday at ABC Ball Park with a doubleheader against Webster University starting at 5 p.m.
Game one
Freshman Melanie Russo ended with the game-winning hit when she solo homered to center that hit the top of the fence for her second career bomb. Senior pitcher Madi Leonard tallied her total eight strikeouts after four innings on her way to her second complete-game shutout of the year. Fontbonne added insurance runs in the fifth after Russo walked and Emily McNiff stole second as the pinch runner. McNiff scored on Sam Brown's double. Kayla Winkler pinch ran for Brown and stole third and scored the final run on a throwing error by Lindenwood's catcher.
The Lions threatened in the top of the sixth when the leadoff hitter got on with a slow roller to the shortstop. Going for the sacrifice and with Emelia Modglin fielding the bunt along third, all runners were safe when the Griffins failed to cover first base. Lindenwood laid down a sac bunt followed by a walk to load the bases with one out. Leonard got out of the jam forcing a high foul flyout to Modglin who earned the third out as well with a popup along the third base line.
Game two
After Lindenwood took a 2-0 lead in the second, Fontbonne answered in the bottom half and took the lead. With the bases loaded and no outs, Maddy Strickland hit a fielder's choice to the shortstop to score the first run and after Alleigh Kruse walked to load the bases, Lindenwood brought in a new pitcher. A wild pitch moved up all runners and Maddie Cooksey drove in the tying run on a sacrifice fly.
A Griffin fielding error allowed Lindenwood to take a 4-3 lead in the third but the Griffins answered when Emily Smith scored Modglin from first on a double to left that took a crazy hop, forcing the left fielder to overrun the ball.
Lindenwood led the fourth with a double to left. Griffin fans thought they got out of the inning with only two runs but a would-be third out was dropped and allowed the Lions to take a 7-4 lead. Fontbonne rebounded with four unearned runs in the bottom half of the inning. With the bases loaded and two outs, Smith dribbled a hit to the pitcher whose throw cleared the bases and allowed her to reach third. Russo followed up with a single to right which gave the Griffins the lead.
Lindenwood loaded the bases with two outs on a walk in the sixth. With a full count on Madison Huot, Fontbonne's pitcher Strickland got out of the jam when second baseman Isabel Hotop avoided the Lions' base runner and caught the popup sliding between the baseline and the circle.
Lindenwood was allowed to tie the game in the seventh on a Griffin throwing error, forcing the Griffins to battle. Fontbonne failed to score, sending the game into extra innings. Lindenwood tried to go for the bunt to score the runner on third but Smith threw to Modglin who ran down the tag for the pickoff to prevent the Lindenwood advantage.
Sarah Kitchen walked to lead off for Fontbonne in the eighth after Cooksey was placed on 2nd. Both advanced on a wild pitch before Modglin walked to load the bases with zero outs.
Schaefer popped up to third base for the first out. Coach Rosner called for the squeeze play, which Smith laid down perfectly. Her bunt towards the circle was fielded too late by the Lion first baseman as Cooksey slid for the game-winning run.
Eighteen runners were left on base in the later contest on 18 hits, 13 walks and one hit-by-pitch. The Griffins tallied a season-high 11 walks at the plate while Fontbonne's pitchers walked just two Lions.
Modglin walked three times in the second game with one hit on two at-bats and two runs scored. Diamond Thomas came into the circle in relief in the seventh, eventually earning the win in her first appearance.