Box Score | Game 1
Box Score | Game 2
Langhorne, PA - Cairn University's softball program showed signs of closing the gap between themselves and the rest of the Colonial States Athletic Conference on Thursday afternoon.
The Highlanders kept things close against Cabrini College in doubleheader action.
In game one,
Jessica Good started on the mound for the Highlanders and lasted all seven innings. On offense,
Kelly Hendrickson and
Erin Meade both went 1-for-2.
Jessica Piccolo and
Brigid Shehan went 1-for-3.
Cabrini opened up a 4-0 lead in the top of the second inning and extended their lead to 7-0 in the fourth. The Highlanders responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Cairn would later tally an additional run in the bottom of the seventh.
The Cavaliers claimed a 7-2 win to start the doubleheader off.
In the day's second game, Cairn out hit the Cavaliers 9 to 7. For the second time, the Highlanders shut out the Cavaliers in the first inning only to conceed multiple runs in the second. This time, Cabrini notched three runs in the second.
For the final five innings, the Highlanders defense silenced the Cavalier bats. Kelly Hendrickson pitched a complete game, striking out a season-high six batters and giving up only three earned runs.
With the defense doing its job, it was up to the Cairn offense to get things going. The first four innings saw the Highlanders struggle at the plate, but the ladies started to threaten late in the game.
In the fifth inning, the Highlanders placed runners on second and third with a chance to cut into the Cavalier lead only to see Cabrini escape unscathed. That is until the next inning. Brigid Shehan kicked things off in the bottom of the sixth inning with a solo base hit.
Kristen Hubler followed suit with a single of her own, sending Shehan advancing to second. The based would be loaded after Jessica Piccolo hit Cairn's third straight single of the inning. Shehan would make it home off of
Hannah Blackmer's single, making it 3-1. With the the tying run on second, Cabrini's Missy Miller was able to strike out the next two batters and get the final out on a ground out.
After keeping Cabrini to no futher runs, the Highlanders had a chance to go for the win in the bottom of the seventh. Jess Good got on base with a single, but would be out the next play on Kelly Hendrickson's hit. Hendrickson made her way to third after advancing to second on a wild pitch and making it to the corner on an error. Unfortunately, it was as far as she would go and Hubler would ground out to second to end the game.
Both Good and Hubler went 2-for-4 in game two.
The pair of defeats move Cairn to 0-9 on the season and 0-4 in the CSAC. It was still an improvement from last season when the Highlanders lost these fixtures 15-0 and 9-1.
This Saturday, Cairn will travel to Gwynedd-Mercy College for their next doubleheader.
