The Siena Heights Softball Team capped off their spring break trip with two wins including another wild comeback in walk off fashion.
In game one, the Saints cruised to a 9-0 win over Dakota State. The Saints scored five runs in the second, three in the third, and one in the fourth. On the game, they knocked out 13 hits including three doubles and one homerun. Offensively, every starter had at least one hit. Ashley Helmink had a hit and two RBI, Kris Forest had a double, Kelsey Cherry had two hits, a double and a RBI, Racquel Ward had two hits, Kristi Carlson had a homerun and four RBI, Taylor Mowery had two hits and two RBI, Kayla Boland, Amy Nordstrom, and Lexi Agers also had hits for the Saints.
On the mound, Ward threw the complete game, earning her second win on the week with five innings pitched and allowing only two hits and struck out one.
In game two, the Saints pulled off another wild comeback on a week full of them. In the first inning, Dakota Wesleyan plated four runs, followed by another three runs in the second. The Saints responded with six runs of their own in the bottom of the third. Dakota Wesleyan stormed back with three more in the fourth, and four more in the fifth, putting the Saints in the precarious position of being run ruled in the bottom of the fifth with the eight run deficit.
In the bottom of the fifth, a homerun by Skylar Crenshaw ensured the game would continue and was followed by four more Saints' runs. In the sixth, two more Saints came across the plate to set up the walk off ending. In the bottom of the seventh, Helmink started the inning with a base hit followed by a stolen base. Forest hit a ground ball to the infield and Helmink deftly avoided a tag at third base to set runners up on the corners with no one out. Ashley Best and Agers came in to run, Agers swiped second setting up the Saints with runners on second and third with no outs. Cherry stepped up to the plate and ended all drama with a base hit through the middle, knocking in the tying and game winning run.
On the game, the Saints knocked out another 18 hits, once again, every starter had at least one hit on the game. Jordan Bianchi had a hit, a run and a RBI, Helmink had three hits, two runs scored, two doubles, and a RBI, Forest added two hits, a run scored and a RBI, Cherry had two hits and three RBI, Turk had two hits and two runs scored, Crenshaw had three hits, the homerun, and one RBI, Nordstrom had one hit, a double and four RBI, Mowery had a hit and two runs scored, Bailee Taylor had three hits, a double and three RBI.
Lauren Valdez started for the Saints and threw the first inning, Lauren Best came in and threw 2.1 innings in relief, with Ward coming in and throwing the final 3.2 innings and earning her third win in as many games.
With the wins, the Saints move to 5-5 on the season and will return home to Michigan. They are slated to return to play on Saturday March 17th with a 1 pm doubleheader with St. Francis of Illinois.