HAMILTON – Colgate used strong pitching and timely hitting to propel a balanced doubleheader sweep of Lafayette with 1-0 and 7-5 victories on Saturday at Eaton Street Field.
The Raiders take three out of four games in the series to improve to 6-10 overall and 4-6 in Patriot League play. Lafayette dropped to 1-11 and 1-7 in conference action.
Steph Jacoby paced Colgate offensively with three hits on the day.
Virginia Irby and
Morgan Farrah each recorded two hits while
Adrienne Nardone blasted a grand slam to finish with four RBIs.
Bailey Misken and
Bella Crow picked up the two wins in the circle.
Game 1: Colgate 1, Lafayette 0
The opening game of Saturday's doubleheader had a similar script to Friday's 1-0 nightcap. Misken and Hannah Cook controlled the circle, keeping the game scoreless through four innings.
Colgate's offense backed Misken with the first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth. Farrah doubled to deep right field and
Gigi Venizelos scored from second when Jacoby sliced an RBI single to right center. The throw came home but Venizelos slid under the tag for a 1-0 Colgate lead.
That was the only run Misken needed to lock up Colgate's first shutout of the season. She stranded two runners in scoring position in the sixth and capped her gem with a scoreless seventh to secure the 1-0 victory.
Misken scattered six hits and struck out four in the complete game effort. The Raiders offensively were led by Jacoby, who finished 2-for-3 with the lone RBI. Irby, Farrah, and
Kara Fusco registered the other three hits for Colgate.
Game 2: Colgate 7, Lafayette 5
Both offensive sides came alive in the final game of the series. Lafayette jumped out to an early 3-0 lead powered by home runs from Julia Romano and Paige Rover in the top of the first.
Bella Crow found her rhythm and ensued to toss three scoreless innings after the opening frame.
Colgate responded with a run in the home half of the first and then put up a six-spot in the bottom of the second. Farrah and
Taylor Ludwick started the carousel with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and walk before Nardone brought everybody home with a grand slam to straightaway center field.
Lafayette climbed back into the game with a run in the top of the fifth and another in the seventh. The Leopards brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the seventh, but Misken picked up the final two outs to preserve Colgate's 7-5 victory and doubleheader sweep.
Nardone's grand slam carried the weight offensively. Farrah, Jacoby and Ludwick all drove in a run apiece. Crow improved to 3-4 in the circle, going 6 1/3 innings while allowing five earned runs on nine hits with four strikeouts. Misken earned her first save of the season in the triumph.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Marissa Lamison-Myers
On the games:
"Bailey [Misken] was fantastic this weekend. She kept her composure and made some big pitches when we needed her to. She worked out of a couple jams and let her defense do a lot of the heavy lifting.
"Our hitters did a great job at not pressing when we went down early in Game 2. We just focused on pushing one run at a time. We were able to make the necessary adjustments and garner different results today."
NOTES
•
Bailey Misken pitched in all four games in the series and did not allow an earned run in 15 innings.
• She earned two wins and one save this weekend to move to 3-5 on the season.
•
Virginia Irby slashed .500 in the series with two doubles, two RBIs, and three runs scored.
• Misken and
Bella Crow combined for a 1.88 ERA in 26 innings pitched.
• Colgate leads the Patriot League in home runs (15) after belting four more this weekend.
UP NEXT
Colgate stays home next weekend for a four-game Patriot League series against Lehigh. Saturday and Sunday doubleheaders from Eaton Street Field are slated for noon and 2 p.m.
