The St. John’s softball team spent Spring Break this past week competing in both the Stevens Industries FGCU tournament and the USF-Under Armour Showcase in Florida.
The first tournament took place from March 11-13 in Fort Myers, where the Red Storm split the four-game tourney against the likes of St. Francis (PA), Colgate, Tennessee-Martin, and Florida Gulf Coast. Following the 2-2 showing, St. John’s tested their talents against an international opponent, as they fell to the Dutch National Team by a score of 12-5 in the exhibition.
Two days following their matchup against the Dutch, the Softball team began play in the USF-Under Armour Showcase in Clearwater, Fla. There, the Red Storm found their winning ways, winning 4-1 in the three-day tournament.
In Fort Myers, the two St. John’s victories were led by excellent pitching performances from freshman right-hander Aleshia Link and by a fine power display at the plate.
Link opened the trip with a six-inning complete game shutout in a rain-shortened 11-3 victory against St. Francis (PA). The next day, the freshman earned her second career victory in a 9-7 win over the University of Tennessee-Martin, allowing three earned runs in five innings.
Six of the nine St. John’s starters drove in at least one run in the first game. Sophomore Chrissy Montez and freshmen Jackie Reed and Myriah Rodgers each led the way adding one home run apiece.
Montez, who was named to the Big East Weekly Honor Roll this week, finished the game going 2-for-2, including the home run, to go along with three RBI, two runs scored, and two walks.
In the second victory of the Stevens Industries FGCU tournament, four players finished with multi-hit performances. Two of those players homered as Rodgers and sophomore Amber Curry each added round-trippers and drove in three runs.
The Red Storm defeated St. Joseph’s 3-0 to kick off their stay in Clearwater, as Linzee Sumrall tossed eight shutout innings. The Louisiana native allowed just three hits and struck out five.
The Red Storm broke the game’s scoreless drought in the top of the eighth inning when Montez’s two-out RBI single gave the team a 1-0 lead. A few batters later, a Reed single would add two more runs to the board before Sumrall secured the 3-0 win by retiring the final three batters she faced as Saint Joseph’s stranded two on the bases.
The second game of the day brought similar success in similar fashion. Link picked up her third victory of the week, pitching a complete game in a seven-inning game over Quinnipiac. Link allowed just two earned runs and struck out eight in the 4-3 win.
At the plate, senior Chelsea Durning went 2-for-3 and scored a run, while Curry and juniors Fachon Jones and Kristi Cady added an RBI apiece.
The next morning, St. John’s won by a score of 11-5 against Toledo, before losing its only game of the tourney in a one-run game against Maryland.
First baseman Myriah Rodgers went 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Montez collected three hits in five at-bats, with two RBIs and two runs scored. Jones scored two runs and reached base in all three at-bats. Outfielder Cady went 2-for-3, with three RBI, a walk, and two runs scored.
On Sunday, the Red Storm closed their Spring Break road trip with an 8-4 win over Massachusetts. Sumrall pitched seven innings of three-run ball, earning her second complete game victory of the week. Montez and Curry each homered and Cady collected three RBI and a run scored while going 2-for-3 at the plate.
The next stop for the Red Storm will be in Harrisonburg, Va., for the JMU Dukes Invitational that is set to take place from March 18-20. The three-day Invitational will include matchups against Binghamton, James Madison and Lehigh.
