Cougars Upset No. 11 Knights with Doubleheader Sweep

FORT WAYNE, Ind.  – The University of Saint Francis (Ind.) softball team upset No. 11 Marian University in a Crossroads League doubleheader sweep on Wednesday, April 8. The Cougars battled to an 8-7 walk-off win in nine innings in game one before earning an 8-3 victory in game two.

SAINT FRANCIS 8, #11 MARIAN 7 – 9 INNINGS

• The Knights opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first inning.
• Saint Francis answered in the bottom half when Paiton Iliff hit her first home run of the game to tie it at 1-1.
• After Marian scored in the second inning, the Cougars responded with a home run from Madyson Minnich and a sacrifice bunt to retake a 3-2 lead.
• Iliff extended the lead to 4-2 with her second home run of the game in the third inning.
• Saint Francis added another run in the fourth to make it 5-2.
• Marian answered with four runs across the fifth and sixth innings to take the lead.
• Macie Dowd tied the game at 6-6 with an RBI single to right-center in the seventh inning.
• After a scoreless eighth, Marian took a 7-6 lead in the top of the ninth with an RBI single.
• The Cougars answered again, tying the game at 7-7 before Joanna Geremesz delivered a walk-off single to left field to secure the 8-7 victory.
• Saint Francis recorded 11 hits and six walks in game one. Abby Robakowski went 3-4 with a double and a run scored. Iliff finished 2-3 with two home runs, two RBI and two walks. Minnich added a home run and two RBI, while Lena Viggiano drove in two runs.
• In the circle, Ellie Sauder started and threw 5.0 innings, striking out two while allowing six hits and one walk. Olivia Fuentes earned the win in relief, tossing 4.0 innings with one strikeout while allowing five hits.

SAINT FRANCIS 8, #11 MARIAN 3

• Marian struck first in game two, capitalizing on a Saint Francis error to score two runs for an early lead.
• Saint Francis responded with an RBI single in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit to 2-1.
• After Marian added another run in the top of the third, the Cougars answered with a big inning, plating five runs. The frame was highlighted by back-to-back home runs from Robakowski and Haylee Schott to take a 6-3 lead.
• Robakowski added her second home run of the game and 14th of the season in the sixth inning to extend the lead to 8-3.
• Saint Francis kept Marian off the scoreboard over the final four innings to secure the win and complete the doubleheader sweep.
• The Cougars finished with 11 hits and three walks in game two. Macie Dowd went 2-3 at the plate with a double and two runs scored. Robakowski hit 2-4 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored. Schott added her third home run of the season, while Geremesz, Viggiano, and Lillian Pierce each drove in a run.
• In the circle, Schott threw a complete game, striking out six batters while allowing five hits and two walks.

Up next, Saint Francis (21-7, 17-3 CL) will continue a slate of home doubleheaders with two games against Goshen College on Thursday, April 9, starting at 3:00 p.m.

Founded in 1890 in the Catholic Franciscan tradition, the University of Saint Francis offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. The academic structure at Saint Francis offers seven pathways: Humanities, Faith and Liberal Arts; Allied Health; Business and Leadership: Creative Arts and Digital Media; Education, Human Services and Community Care; Nursing; and Sciences and Medical Studies. In addition to its traditional programs, Saint Francis delivers workforce development healthcare programs in Fort Wayne, Crown Point, Gas City, Indianapolis, Lafayette and online. Saint Francis Downtown houses the music technology program while offering enhanced internship and networking opportunities for students. A National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Five-Star Champion of Character institution, Saint Francis has 21 athletic programs boasting three individual and four team NAIA national championships. More than 1,900 students from a broad geographic region attend Saint Francis.