In a pair of defensive matchups, the Saint Joseph's softball team entered its final at-bats with a chance to win both games. Unfortunately for the Hawks, visiting Dayton was able to hold its lead in both contests as the Flyers took both games of Saturday's doubleheader, 3-0 and 1-0, respectively, at the SJU Softball Field.
In the opener, Dayton jumped out to an early 2-0 edge in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Kyle Davidson walked and came around to score on an RBI double by Kayla Haberstitch. Following a groundout, Haberstitch scored from second on a single to right field by Lisa Tassi.
The Flyers added an insurance run in the top of the seventh as Kelly Fitzgerald scored from third on a wild pitch to make it 3-0.
The Hawks would get a one-out hit from Caela Abadie in the bottom half of the seventh, but Dayton worked out of it to preserve the win.
For the game, Abadie went 2-for-3, while rookie Taylor Marinelli accounted for the other SJU hit with a double in the third.
In the circle, Ashley Ventura tossed seven innings and allowed three runs on six hits and struck out five.
In a pitchers' duel that saw a combined seven hits, the Flyers tallied the game's lone run off their feet in the fourth inning for game two. With runners at the corners and two outs, Dayton's Julia Blarr attempted to steal second, drawing a throw down by the Hawks. With Blarr caught in a rundown, the Flyers' Tassi dashed home for third to score before SJU tagged out Blarr for the third out.
Ventura worked around two hits in the fifth and right fielder Jancarla Herrera gunned down a Dayton runner at the plate for the third out in the sixth to keep the Hawks within one.
With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, junior Taryn Grober worked a walk to bring up the go-ahead run. Once again though the Flyers got the out they needed to pick up their second win on the day.
For game two, Marinelli, Molly Kapala and Kirstin Cox accounted for SJU's three runs, while Ventura (5-13) tossed another complete game as she allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out three.
The two teams cap their three-game series with a single game on Sunday at noon.
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