Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 BOCA RATON, Fla.- Lynn University's softball team dropped below .500 for the first time since conference play began after losing a pair of Sunshine State Conference games to visiting Saint Leo on Saturday afternoon. The Fighting Knights fall to 20-22 and 10-11 in the league while SLU improves to 36-12 and 11-9 in the SSC.
Back-to-back home runs by the Lions in the top of the second ended Lynn's starting pitcher Missy Montgomery's day early as SLU lead 3-0. Francais Olexa came on to pitch the remainder of the game allowing three earned runs on seven hits.
Saint Leo's Samantha Tyler had a no-hitter going through the five and a third innings after allowing just two base runners all day for the Fighting Knights, both were walks. Sara Vazquez recorded the only hit of the game for the Blue & White with a single up the middle in the bottom of the sixth inning but Tyler would escape the jam stranding two runners on base.
Montgomery (12-7) was credited with the 6-0 loss allowing four hits and three earned runs in one inning of work. Tyler improved to 8-2 with the SLU victory while recording seven strikeouts.
In game two, Saint Leo took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a RBI double by Tori Thomas. The Lions added two more runs on a pair of hits and two Fighting Knights errors an inning later to extend their lead to 3-0.
Lynn stranded two runners on base in the bottom of the third after back-to-back infield singles by Olexa and Vazquez. A two out single by Cherise McEnery in the bottom of the seventh gave the Fighting Knights hope but SLU's Ashley Ehlers struck out Amanda Casillas to end the game.
Olexa (6-12) went the distance pitching a complete game allowing three earns, one earned, on seven hits while striking out one Lion. Lynn's four hits came by way of Vazquez, McEnery, Casillas and Olexa while Ehler's struck out eight Knights earning her 13th win of the season.
Vazquez was the only member of Lynn's lineup to record a pair of hits in the double header.
The Fighting Knights return to action on Friday, April 24, for a 4 pm game against Tampa in the final SSC series of the season. For more information, log on to LynnFightingKnights.com. Don't forget to 'Like' us on Facebook or follow @Lynn_Knights on Twitter or Instagram.
