CLERMONT, Fla. - The Hood College softball team defeated Utica 10-7 and Rhodes 2-0 behind a pair of notable performances on the Blazers' spring break trip on Mar. 15.
Brandi Davidson tied the single-game record with three doubles and the Blazers scored three runs in the seventh to defeat the Pioneers.
Rebecca Gottleib tossed her second-straight shutout in a 2-0 win over the Lynx.
At the Plate
- Davidson went 3-for-3 with three doubles against Utica and ended the day 4-for-6 with two runs scored and an RBI. She tied the school record for doubles in a game, most recently accomplished by Ashley Fourcade in 2014.
- Cailyn Barthlow went 3-for-5 against the Pioneers with a home run, a triple and two RBIs.
- Kiersten Tomshack drove in three against the Pioneers.
- Colleen Blasko had two hits in the Utica game and walked against Rhodes.
- Jocelyn Pfleiger had two hits against the Lynx.
Inside the Circle
- Gottleib hurled a two-hit shutout to beat Rhodes. She struck out six and walked one. After allowing a one-out single in the third, she did not allow another hit and retired 11 straight hitters until the seventh inning. She ran her streak of consecutive scoreless innings to 16.1.
- Rachel Benden went the distance against Utica. She allowed seven runs on eight hits, striking out three and walking two in her first career complete game. As a hitter, she had two doubles in the contest.
Hood 10, Utica 7
- With the game tied 7-7 in the seventh, Hood scored three times despite not getting a baserunner until there were already two outs. Davidson doubled for the third time to put the winning run in scoring position. Tomshack knocked her in with an RBI single for the go-ahead run. Barthlow followed a with a triple and Pfleiger doubled her home to make it 10-7.
- Two errors by Hood extended the bottom of the inning for Utica and brought the tying run to the plate with two outs. Benden forced a pop up to second to escape the jam and secure the win.
- Utica took an early lead on a three-run home run by Kaitlyn Paul in the bottom of the first.
- Hood pulled within one with single runs in the third and fourth innings before Utica scored again in the fourth. Davidson led off the third with a double and scored on a base hit off the bat of Angela Acampora. Davidson had an RBI double the following inning, driving in Blasko to make it 3-2.
- An RBI double by Taylor Kraft in the bottom of the fourth extend the lead to 4-2 but Hood took the lead in the top of the next inning.
- Barthlow homered to start the top of the fifth and cut the deficit to 4-3. An error and a Benden double put runners on second and third. After the second out, Hood scored four runs to take a 7-4 lead. Back-to-back run scoring singles by Kaelyn Blocher and Blasko put Hood in front 5-4. Davidson was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Tomshack drove in the two lead runners with an RBI single.
- The lead was short-lived as Paul erased Hood's lead with her second three-run home run of the game in the bottom of the inning, locking the score at 7-7.
- Hood had six doubles in the game, three by Davidson, two by Benden and one by Pfleiger.
For the Pioneers
- Paul homered twice and drove in six for Utica.
- Lauren Paul also had two hits.
- Jordyn Conte started and went five innings, allowing seven runs, two earned, on 10 hits. Kylie Murray took the loss in relief, giving up three runs on five hits in two innings. Neither pitcher walked a batter.
Hood 2, Rhodes 0
- Hood scored twice in the first and Gottleib made the runs stand with a two-hitter to get the Blazers to .500 on the season.
- Blasko led off the bottom of the first with a walk and stole second. Barthlow reached on an error and Pfleiger was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Acampora and Tomshack drove in runs with RBI groundouts as the Blazers took a 2-0 lead.
- Gottleib allowed a hit in the first and another in the third inning. Ariel Schachter singled in the third and advanced to second before Gottleib struck out Madison Granberry to end the inning.
- Hood stranded runners on base in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but Gottleib sent the Lynx down in order for three straight innings until getting into trouble in the seventh. Katelyn Siekerka walked to start the inning and Nikki Greuel reached on an error to put runners on the corners with no one out. After Greuel stole second, Gottleib got Cam Ferguson to hit a grounder to third. Mallorie Hetzel went to first for the out and Siekerka broke for home on the throw. Pfleiger's throw home beat the runner for the 532 double play and Gottleib struck out Lauren Little to end the game.
- Pfleiger went 2-for-2 and was hit by a pitch.
For the Lynx
- Madison Stringfield was the first of three pitchers for Rhodes and took the loss. She allowed two runs, one earned, in four innings on three hits and two walks. Stringfield struck out three. Madison Keller and Andie Priest each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
Notes
- The Blazers improved to 5-5 on the year.
- Hood and Utica had previously played twice during spring break in 2006, with the Pioneers winning both games.
- It was the second all-time meeting between Hood and Rhodes. The Lynx won on the same field at the Hancock Recreational Complex in 2020, 2-1.
Up Next
Hood faces Hamilton (3:15 p.m.) and Fredonia (5:30 p.m.) on Mar. 17 in Clermont, Florida.
