CLEARWATER, Fla. – Bella Crow tossed a complete-game shutout and Virginia Irby bashed a solo home run to lead the Colgate softball team to a 1-0 win over Toledo and a doubleheader split after falling to South Dakota State 8-0 in the opener on Saturday. 
 
With the split, Colgate moved to 7-6 on the season. South Dakota State is now 16-5, while Toledo fell to 7-10 after the loss.
 
Game 1: South Dakota State 8, Colgate 0 (Five Innings)

South Dakota State's Allison Beaudry opened the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the second. Megan Rushing added a three-run home run as part of six straight two-out hits to break the game open and give the Jackrabbits a 7-0 cushion.
 
Meghan Romero singled and stole second with one out in the top of the fourth to give Colgate its best offensive threat of the contest. She was left there, however, as South Dakota State pitcher Kendra Conard worked out of the jam unscathed.
 
Baillie Jorth reached scoring position with a double in the top of the fifth, but she was unable to cross the plate as a lineout ended the game with the Jackrabbits securing the 8-0 final.
 
Rebecca Johnson, Romero, and Jorth each recorded a hit to lead Colgate offensively.
 
Conard scattered two hits over four innings with a strikeout to earn the win in the circle for South Dakota State.
 
Game 2: Colgate 1, Toledo 0
 
Crow won a pitchers' duel in game 2 to lead the Raiders back in the win column with a complete-game shutout. The sophomore hurler scattered four hits and struck out six over seven scoreless frames.
 
Colgate put a runner in scoring position in each inning from the second through the fourth, including a bases-loaded situation in the third, but could not come away with a run.
 
Crow worked out a jam with back-to-back strikeouts to strand two runners on base in the fourth inning, and then she retired six straight batters with perfect fifth and sixth innings.
 
Irby bashed a solo home run to back Crow's gem and produce the only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth. The junior catcher sent a 2-0 pitch over the wall in left field to give the Raiders the only lead they needed. 
 
Toledo looked to rally in the seventh with two runners on base, but Crow capped off her shutout with her sixth punch out of the afternoon to end the game in Colgate's favor, 1-0.
 
Colgate finished with four hits in the win, led by two from Jordan Miller. Irby and Morgan Farrah each recorded a hit apiece to pace the Raiders offensively. Johnson, Romero, and Irby each worked a walk. 
 
KEY RAIDER NOTES
• Crow has allowed just two runs over her last two starts with 12 strikeouts in 14 innings of work.
• She tossed Colgate's second shutout of the season.
• Six Raiders finished with a hit on the day, led by two from Miller.
• With two hits against Toledo, Miller registered her seventh multi-hit game of the season.
• Johnson recorded a hit in game 1 and worked a walk in game 2 to extend her streak of reaching base to six straight games. 
 
FROM THE SOURCE
• Colgate head coach Marissa Lamison-Myers:
 
"We started off slow in the first game but the team managed to get focused and play a solid second game. Bella had a fantastic pitching performance and kept giving us opportunities to score by shutting Toledo down."

UP NEXT
• Colgate continues its spring break trip with a doubleheader on Sunday.
• The Raiders will take on Eastern Illinois at 11:15 a.m. and USC Upstate in game 2 slated for 1:45 p.m.