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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Mackenzie Stease on Day 1 of Florida trip
The Blue Streaks did solidly all across the board on Sunday. 
2
Haverford HAVSB 0-1
10
Winner John Carroll JCU 1-0
Haverford HAVSB
0-1
2
Final
10
John Carroll JCU
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Haverford HAVSB 0 0 2 0 0 2 4 1
John Carroll JCU 0 1 3 0 6 10 7 1

W: Orendi, Danielle (1-0) L: Rachel McQueen (0-1)

13
Winner John Carroll JCU 2-0
9
Rockford RU 0-2
Winner
John Carroll JCU
2-0
13
Final
9
Rockford RU
0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
John Carroll JCU 0 6 0 1 3 0 3 13 13 3
Rockford RU 1 2 0 4 0 2 0 9 9 4

W: Callow, Brianna (1-0) L: Sullivan, Lexi (0-1) S: Orendi, Danielle (1)

Game Recap: Softball | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Softball Starts 2023 Season with Two Sunday Victories in Florida

John Carroll Softball got two wins today, first conquering Haverford, 10-2, before beating Rockford, 13-9.

Here's how the first day of the Florida trip went. 

Game 1
John Carroll got on the board first. Nina Scavelli opened the bottom of the second with a walk, followed by a Lexie Genovese single. After a fielder's choice, Haverford walked Kendall Trunzo. Gracie Bressoud also drew a walk to score a run. The Fords made a pitching change and stopped the potential early momentum for JCU.

In the next half-inning, the Fords scratched across a couple runs for a 2-1 lead. The lead proved to be short-lived. In the bottom of the third, the Blue Streaks' discipline at the plate paid off. Gabby Hougan reached on an error before Kaylyn Odelli and Scavelli walked to load the bases. A fielder's choice scored a run before Elaina Rodriguez clubbed a nice single to score two and set JCU ahead, 4-2.

Following a quick fourth, Haverford ripped a triple to right to start the fifth. Head Coach Alex Lagesse opted for a pitching change, subbing freshman Emily Graves in for Danielle Orendi. The move worked, as Graves mowed through three straight Fords to keep JCU in front by two.

The Blue Streaks slammed the door shut on any Haverford hopes in the bottom of the fifth. Odelli opened the frame with a single through the left side. Mackenzie Stease clobbered a ball deep into center field, scoring Odelli. At this point, Haverford swapped pitchers, but to no avail. 

The Fords surrendered four hit by pitches and three walks, paving the way for what became a 6-run inning for the Blue Streaks. And so, John Carroll earned a run-rule victory, a 10-2 conquest. 

"It feels great, I'm still trying to process it all," said Head Coach Alex Lagesse about her first career win. "It's a good feeling. We're seeing the work we did in the preseason pay off. All of the work and trust put into one another is paying off."

Orendi earned the win with her strong 4-inning start. A total of 8 Blue Streaks tallied hits, led by Alyssia Carmichael, who finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. 

Game 2
The second game of the day started a bit late, as Rockford played a game that entered extras in their day starter. But the Regets did not start slow, loading the bases with one out in the bottom of the first with a walk, hit by pitch, and a single. A walk sent in a run, but Brianna Callow bore down from there, garnering a foul out and a strikeout to limit Rockford to a single run. 

The Blue Streaks fired up a 6-run top of the second-inning in response. 

Gabby Hougan took one for the team with a hit by pitch, and Mackenzie Stease sent her to third with an absolute rocket shot that became a groundrule double. Lexie Genovese then got hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Elaina Rodriguez then clipped a 2-run single, pushing the Blue Streaks out in front. Following a fielders' choice, Gracie Bressoud and Alyssia Carmichael each reached on errors, allowing three runs to score. Kaylyn Odelli then hit a monster double for the team's final strike of the inning.

The Regents responded for a couple runs in the bottom of the frame with a big double, but Callow ensured the damage was not critical.

A key error by Rockford to open the fourth paved the way for a JCU run. But the Regents redeemed themselves in the bottom of the frame. Rockford clubbed a deep double with the bases juiced, followed by an RBI single to knot the ballgame at seven apiece. After ceding the circle at the start of the inning, Callow returned with 2 outs, and quickly got a strikeout to get JCU back up to the plate.

And when the Blue Streaks got back to the dish, they did some damage. Stease started it with a single to left. One out later, Rodriguez singled through the right side to put runners in the corners, and Kendall Trunzo walked to load them up. Bressoud plated two runs with a masterful single. After a Rockford pitching change, Carmichael slotted an RBI single up the middle for one more. Unfortunately, the Regents managed a double play to get out of the jam, but JCU still held a 10-7 advantage. 

The Regents managed to get a couple runs across in the sixth, narrowing the gap to 10-9. But in the seventh, the Blue Streaks erased any doubts of victory. 

The Blue Streaks quickly loaded the bases with no outs, spurred ahead by Maddie Traub's pinch hit single to start it. A couple batters later, Kasyn Scarantine got into the box and tabbed a 2-run single in clutch fashion. And then, Gabby Hougan powered an RBI single, setting the score at 13-9. 

With a 4-run margin, Danielle Orendi slammed the door shut on a victory. And so, the Blue Streaks advanced to 2-0.

"We still have some things to work on, we need to take care of the ball a bit, but our energy and intentions were great," said Lagesse. "Our seniors stepped up today, and everyone was intentional, including with hydrating in the heat. Gabby did well, Kaylyn finds a way to get on base, and everyone contributed. We put people in different spots, and it was good to see everyone step up and embrace those roles today.

"Overall, the players gave each other a lot of love and support, and that's what you need to start a good season."

On Monday, the Blue Streaks' work continues, with a 9 am game vs. Clark University and an 11 am showdown with Alverno College.
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