NAPLES, Fla. – After being handed a 17-3 defeat by Dominican University (Ill), the Kenyon Ladies (3-5) softball team came back from a 4-0 deficit in game two against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and won 8-7 to salvage their second day of competition at the Gene Cusic Classic.
 
GAME ONE
 
The Stars were unstoppable on offense as they cranked out 14 hits and 17 runs in a five-inning affair at North Collier Regional Park. That run total was the most allowed by the Ladies over the last six-plus seasons coming to Florida.  
 
Dominican wasted little time getting on the scoreboard as Ali Woitovich smacked a three-run bomb to right center in the first inning.
 
Kenyon allowed two more run-scoring hits to Dominican in the second before cracking into the 5-0 deficit in the top of the third.
 
Sophomore Britny Patterson sent a shot straight over the center-field fence and brought in Lauren Graf and Madi Maldonado to bring the count to 5-3.
 
That would be all the scoring for Kenyon, though, who then watched Dominican hang 10 runs on the board in the fourth. Highlighting that inning for the Stars was a grand slam from Woitovich.
 
The Ladies' four total hits were a season low.
 
GAME TWO
 
A 4-0 lead for Pitt-Bradford in the top of the first didn't shake Kenyon starter Keely Sweet. The Panthers got a pair of two-run singles from Chelsey Henry and Betty Fratercangelo, but after that, Sweet allowed just one more run and only three base-runners to get into scoring position until the Panthers made things interesting in the seventh.
 
Down 4-0, Kenyon came right back in the bottom of the first to tie the game. Patterson had a two-run double followed by an Alliston Stratman one-run two-bagger to bring the score to 4-3. Three batters later, Nicole Horita's RBI single drove in Stratman.
 
Pitt-Bradford another run in the second off a wild pitch, but was kept in check the next four frames.
 
With Sweet and company controlling the Panthers' offense, Kenyon got ahead. Juliana Delsante scored after an infield error, and Maldonado drove in Amanda Coyle on a grounder to second base in the third.
 
Then in the sixth, the Ladies came up with two big insurance runs. With the bases loaded, Stratman singled down the right-field line scoring Amanda Ogata. In the next plate appearance, Sophie Silberman added a sacrifice fly bringing in another Ladies run. They led 8-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
 
In the final frame, two walks were issued with one out and Maddy Hillery followed with a double to right center scoring both base-runners. Sweet was then replaced by Austen Whibley and following a walk, a shot to right field was retrieved by Silberman lifting Kenyon to victory.
 
Kenyon had four players with multiple hits, led by Ogata (3). In the circle, Sweet earned her second win while allowing her defense to work as they turned a combined 16 chances (11 GOs, 5 FOs) into outs. For Whibley, it was her first save of the season.
 
Next up for the Ladies are two games tomorrow against Mount Mary University and Albion College.