Delhi Duels College of St. Joseph in Tuesday Twin Bill

Gerry Raymonda
Gerry Raymonda

DELHI, N.Y. (April 25, 2018) – The softball team was back at it again Tuesday, playing their third home doubleheader in four days, this time against College of St. Joseph. The Broncos held a 6-4 lead in the first game after five innings, but the Fighting Saints scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh to take a 7-6 victory. Delhi would suffer a 14-6 five-inning defeat in the nightcap.

COLLEGE OF ST. JOSEPH 7, SUNY DELHI 6

SUNY Delhi's game plan for Tuesday involved a more frequent rotation of pitchers. In game one, Jenna Lutz pitched the first 1.2 innings before giving way to Molly Greene in the second. Greene then shuffled in the circle with Haylee Lefebvre in the fourth inning before taking the mound again in the fifth. She came on for another two-thirds of an inning until the rotation came back around for Lutz for the sixth, followed by Lefebvre again in the seventh.

The approach worked well, as the Broncos kept CSJ off-balance, grudgingly allowing runs. Down 2-0 in the fourth, Sierra Keesler got the offense going with a solo home run to cut the lead in half. This effort was echoed by Brittany Trank, who singled in a run later in the inning to tie the game up. The Fighting Saints responded with two runs in the fifth, but Delhi retaliated swiftly by plating four in the bottom half to lead, 6-4. With the bases loaded, Samantha Mendelsohn's at bat tied the game when she scored Renee Stilwell on a fielder's choice, then a throwing error by the catcher prompted Sierra Keesler to score from second. Yesileidy Paulino tacked on a run later in the inning on a groundout that allowed Lefebvre to score. Then with runners on the corners, Liana Garry and Samiaya Salley perfected a double steal that scored Salley to take a two-run lead. The Fighting Saints got one run back in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, then tied the game on a two-out single. CSJ would score the go-ahead run in the seventh on a wild pitch.

Keesler finished 2-for-4 with one home run and one RBI. Mendelsohn was 1-for-3 with a double, walk and a ribbie, while Trank went 1-for-2 with one walk and one RBI. The Broncos totaled six runs on just six hits. Lutz finished with two strikeouts and allowed three earned runs on six hits through 3.0 innings of work. Greene allowed just one earned run on three hits in 2.0 innings, while Lefebvre notched one K and gave up just two earned runs on six hits through 2.0 innings.

COLLEGE OF ST. JOSEPH 14, SUNY DELHI 6 (FIVE INNINGS)

The Fighting Saints scored eight runs to start the game, then Delhi got some offense going in the bottom half to cut the lead to 8-2. Haylee Lefebvre got the Broncos on the board on an RBI single, then Samantha Mendelsohn's ground out later in the frame got Sierra Keesler home. The second and third innings featured scoreless boxes, but CSJ broke the silence with a five-run fourth. Delhi retaliated with four runs in the bottom half, thanks to two RBIs from Brittany Trank, one from Molly Greene and another from Keesler, to make the score 13-6. CSJ, though, would get a run in the fifth to enforce the five-inning rule.

Mendelsohn went 2-for-3 for the game with one RBI. Keesler and Lefebvre both went 1-for-3 and one RBI. Starter Jenna Lutz pitched one inning, allowing four earned runs on eight hits. Greene had one strikeout, allowing no earned runs on three hits through 2.2 innings. Lefebvre gave up just one earned run on two hits in 1.1 frames.