Cougars Roll the Lancers in a Swept Victory
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Grace | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
|
Saint Francis (Ind.) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | X | 6 | 8 | 2 |
FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- On Saturday afternoon, The University of Saint Francis Cougars (24-20, 18-12 Crossroads League) took on the Grace College Lancers (18-23, 10-20 Crossroads League) in a doubleheader series winning both games of the series by scores of 8-3 and 6-4.
In the first game of the series, Deron Swanson took the mound to start for the Cougars. Things started off rocky for the Cougars as the Lancers came out swinging first, scoring off a 2-run RBI single and an RBI double to make it 3-0 in the 1st. But, the Cougar offense looked to have a few tricks up their sleeves to respond quickly to the Lancers. It started with Jose Valdez-Sandoval and Eli Riley getting walked, then Jayden Lepper hit a sacrifice fly, then Xavier Croxton hit a 2-run single all in the 2nd inning to make it 3-5. Then, the Cougars offense continued to score from an error and another sacrifice fly in the 5th inning to make it 7-3. The Lancer offense had completely stalled out by this point with seemingly no response in sight. Deron Swanson threw for 6 innings, and recorded 5 hits, 3 runs, & 8 strikeouts. Casey Henry came in to pitch relief for the remaining 3 innings and recorded 2 hits & 7 strikeouts. The Cougars ended the offensive showcase with a Jayden Lepper RBI double to make it 8-3 in the 7th. The Cougar offense would secure game one with a victory of 8-3.
In the second game of the series, Hunter Frost took the mound to start for the Cougars. Once again, the Lancers would come out swinging first, scoring off a single to make it 1-0 in the 1st inning. The Cougars response would stay the same as they dominated on offense once again. The Cougars scored off an RBI single, RBI double, a hit by pitch error, a walk, and a sacrifice fly through the 5th to make it 5-1. But, the Lancers would find a way to respond to the offense scoring a 2-run double to make it 5-3 in the 6th. The Cougars would respond with a single of their own to make it 6-3, but not before the Lancers responded with a single right back to make it 6-4. The Cougar defense would luckily cleanup and closeout the series against the Lancers with a 6-4 victory. Hunter Frost through for the enitrety of the game and tallied 7 hits, 4 runs, & 9 strikeouts.
The Cougars next road series will be Monday (April 24th) against The Marian University Knights in Indianapolis, Indiana at MU Ballpark with a 1PM first pitch. Game two of the doubleheader will follow 30-minutes after the last out of game one is recorded.
Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF Athletics by visiting saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.
-Hayden Williamson-