Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Saint Francis (PA)
@HerdSB Splits with Saint Francis
3/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Game 1 Box (PDF)
Game 2 Box (PDF)
Coach Stanton Postgame Video
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall softball split with Saint Francis Tuesday afternoon winning game one, 9-2, and falling in the second game, 4-0. Marshall is now 19-13 overall and Saint Francis is 18-13. Senior Kaelynn Greene (Eastvale, Calif.) went 5-for-6 at the plate between the two games with four stolen bases and two runs scored.
Game 1: Marshall 9, Saint Francis 2
"We started off fast there is game one and played so well," Herd Coach Shonda Stanton said. "We had 12 hits, KG and Elicia were big at the top and Rocky with her senior leadership gave us a big hit and of course Dixon was strong again in the circle. We did so many things well there in game one."
Greene led off for the Herd and immediately continued her climb in the record books. In her first at-bat, Greene dropped down an infield single and then stole second to get into scoring position with sophomore Elicia D'Orazio (Clermont, Fla.) at the plate. D'Orazio then ran out an infield single of her own to put runners in the corners. D'Orazio then took off for second and as she was in a run down, Greene stole home to put the first run on the board for Marshall. D'Orazio ended up safe at second as she went back for the base and no one was there for the Red Flash defense to cover and she outran the second baseman to the bag.
Next up freshman Briana Daiss (Clermont, Fla.) ripped a double into the right center gap that brought D'Orazio across the plate. Marshall held a 2-0 lead with nobody out, and the offense was not done.
Sophomore Taylor McCord (Gilbert, Ariz.) then ran out an infield single and then both Daiss and McCord advanced the next 60 feet as senior Raquel Escareno (Wellington, Colo.) dropped down a sacrifice bunt. Senior Katalin Lucas (Agua Dulce, Calif.) came up next and put down the squeeze bunt scoring Daiss from third. The final run crossed home plate when McCord came home after senior Alyssa Woodrum (West Hamlin, W.Va.) reached first on an error at short. Marshall led 4-0 after the first.
The Herd put up two more runs in the second to take an early 6-0 lead. Greene and D'Orazio both reached base on infield singles with Greene stealing her way to second and third, and then D'Orazio taking second to put two runners in scoring position. Two batters later, McCord sent a two-out double into right center that scored both Greene and D'Orazio.
"McCord has been outstanding for us," Coach Stanton said of her sophomore catcher. "She has really stepped up and that's been a difference maker especially with her consistency. That has been huge for us right there in the middle of the lineup."
Junior pitcher Jordan Dixon (Edmond, Okla.) was strong once again in the circle as she shut down the hard swinging Red Flash offense until it posted two runs in the fourth inning. Dixon and the defense then closed off the Saint Francis offense the rest of the way. The junior hurler finished the game with eight strikeouts giving her a career total of 712 in her 68th career win.
The Herd offense gave Dixon a little more breathing room in the fifth. Marshall held a four-run lead as both Daiss and McCord reached base with singles. Escareno then brought both runners and herself home with a monster shot to left field. The three-run homer was the fifth of the season for the senior and the 18th of her career putting her in a tie with Deanna Tourville (2005-08) for 10th all-time. Escareno also has 86 career RBI which puts her just four away from getting into the top 10 and passing Caitlyn Jackson (2007-10) for the 10th spot.
Saint Francis put two runners on in the seventh but then Dixon and the Herd defense made the plays to record the next three outs and gain the victory.
Senior Kaelynn Greene was named the Dot Hicks Significance Sticker Award winner for game one going 3-for-4 at the plate with four thefts and two runs scored. Greene now has 127 steals in her career and is just four away from taking the top position held by Marshall Athletics Hall of Famer Sierra Davenport (2001-04) with 130.
"Watching KG inch closer to breaking Sierra Davenport's record is very exciting," Coach Stanton said of her senior. "Sierra was one of our great base stealers and a hall of famer and it's great to see KG closing in on that record. She has been so instrumental for us in the top of the lineup this season and her production has been outstanding."
Game 2: Saint Francis 4, Marshall 0
Marshall just couldn't get anything going offensively in game two. The Herd recorded only five hits scattered across the seven innings and only once did a Marshall runner make it to third base.
Saint Francis scored two runs in the second, one in the fifth and one in the seventh on the way to its 18th win of the season.
Freshman Ali Burdette (Buffalo, W.Va.) started game two in the circle for the Herd and pitched the first four and one-thirds innings. Saint Francis held a 2-0 lead with bases loaded when Burdette was relieved by Jordan Dixon. Dixon allowed a sacrifice fly to right field scoring the lone run in the fifth but the score was credited to Burdette. Dixon then ended the inning with a strikeout.
Marshall received two of its five hits from Kaelynn Greene. Greene has 263 hits in her career as she closes in on another long standing Marshall record. Amanda Williams (2003-06) is just ahead of Greene in the number two spot all-time in career hits with 265. First overall is 4-time All-American Rachel Folden (2005-08) with 266. Greene needs just four hits to become the Herd's all-time hits leader and ended the day hitting .495 with 50 total hits for the season.
The Herd finally got a runner to third base in the fifth inning after sophomore Jordan Colliflower (Huntington, W.Va.) hit a one-out double to left and then Greene got on right behind her with a walk. As Elicia D'Orazio was at the plate a passed ball allowed both runners to advance and so Colliflower stood 60 feet away from scoring the first run. Marshall could not find that timely hit and both runners were stranded.
Burdette took the loss in game two and drops to 4-3 this season while Ketarah DeVries earned her sixth win of the year for Saint Francis.
Next up Marshall will hit the road to get back into Conference USA action with a trip down to Birmingham, Ala. for a three-game series with the UAB Blazers. First pitch of the Saturday doubleheader in set for 2 p.m. eastern. Game one will be televised by FOX Sports.
