Senior Amanda Leone joined the prestigious career 100-hit club with a home run to help the St. Thomas Aquinas College Softball team record a 5-2 victory over the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Friday in Clermont, Fla. The Lady Spartans later dropped a 5-2 decision to Salem University (WV) to wrap up their Florida trip with a 5-7 record.
"We will need to play more consistently up north but we gained very valuable experience here by playing teams from all over the East Coast," said Kristen Sullivan, STAC's head coach. "We had a few very good stretches of softball here when we showed solid pitching, defense and hitting."
In the win over Pitt-Johnstown, STAC jumped to a quick 2-0 first-inning lead and Leone followed with a solo homer, her third round tripper of the road trip. Leone joined teammates Briana Keaveney, Ashley Landolina and Kelcy McGeehan with 100 career hits. Keaveney and Landolina both registered their 100th hits earlier this week in Florida.
Leone's long home run to left field was all the run support that senior pitcher Colleen Borum needed to post her third win of the season. The righthander allowed five hits, struck out two and received outstanding defensive support from Alyssa Chelak, a senior right fielder. Chelak's diving catch saved one run and she threw out another key runner at second base after backing up first base and retrieving an errant throw. Val Winalski added two hits.
McGeehan had a two-run double and Chelak added two hits and two runs in the loss to Salem.
In Thursday's games, Keaveney pitched well in a 2-1 loss to Bentley University (Mass.) and Landolina hit a three-run homer in an 11-5 extra-inning loss to Millersville University (Pa.).
The Spartans next visit Dominican College on Thursday, March 21 for two games with the Chargers at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.