Central softball stayed perfect on Sunday with two home wins over the St. Peter’s University Peacocks, 7-5 and 9-4.
In their second doubleheader against the Peacocks, the Blue Devils came from behind to win in both games.
After a rough first inning that saw freshman Adrianna Green give up four runs, she eventually settled down to allow just one run over her next four innings of work. Senior Kaylee Whittaker finished off the last two innings, securing her second win of the season.
Head coach Breanne Gleason said she was impressed with Green’s performance in her first collegiate start.
“As a freshman, there’s a little bit of nerves, there’s a little bit of what’s going to happen,” Gleason said. “She did a great job of shutting that door after the first inning. It was great.”
Offensively, senior Meg Gorman led off the bottom of the first inning with her second home run of the year. Senior Paige Stringer followed suit with a fifth-inning homer, which made the score 5-2, Peacocks.
Junior Ava Cino came through in the fifth with an RBI single, then again in the bottom of the seventh, following up junior KC Machado’s two-run double with a walk-off two-run home run.
Despite the stressful situation, Cino said her approach was the same as always.
“I was just looking to make good contact on the ball, take a good hack,” Cino said. “If it goes over, it goes over.”
The second game was just as hard-fought for Central. Despite giving up three home runs, freshman Liz Hamilton pitched a complete game. She allowed four runs and struck out two hitters.
Hamilton’s offense had her back, however. Sophomore Ashlyn Desaulniers broke her early-season slump with an RBI single in the second inning to open the scoring for Central.
The next three Blue Devils runs came off Stringer’s bat, as she hit a two-run home run in the third, then a solo shot in the fifth to give her three homers on the day and four in four games.
Stringer was not finished, as she was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth to score freshman Reagan Vunak, giving Central a 5-4 lead.
Machado put the finishing touches on the rally by cranking a grand slam to dead-center field, making the final score 9-4.
Stringer, the star of the show in the second game, said hitting well is cool but not what she is there to do.
“It’s just fun to hang out with all of my friends,” Stringer said. “I just like that we all have fun together. I don’t care if I hit good. I just care if everyone else is having a good day.”
After her second home run of the day, Stringer had one goal in mind for her next at-bat.
“I was definitely looking to go yard again,” Stringer said. “It’s just about seeing where the ball is.”
