PHILADELPHIA - Scoring 10 runs on 14 hits at rival Penn, the Saint Joseph's softball team jumped back into the win column with a 10-6 victory against the Quakers at Penn Park on Wednesday.
The Hawks took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a double by Taylor Marinelli that scored Lauren Reilly.
Penn took its first lead in the bottom of the second as the host Quakers plated two on a two-out single by Sam Pederson.
Saint Joseph's answered back in the top of the third with four runs to regain the lead, 5-2.
Reilly plated Kirstin Cox on a RBI single to tie the game, while Stacey Mayer followed with a bases-loaded walk that scored Sarah Ostaszewski to make it 3-2. Marinelli's second single of the day scored Caela Abadie and Reilly to push to the Hawks' lead to 5-2 and chase Penn starter Ciana Curran.
The Quakers (12-19) struck back with two runs in the bottom of the third on a two-run home run, but SJU again responded.
Ahead 5-4, Saint Joseph's scored three runs on four hits and took advantage of a pair of Quaker errors in the fourth to open an 8-4 lead. Ostaszewski scored the first run on a misplayed throw by the left fielder off a single by Abadie. Abadie would come around to score from third on a double-steal attempt, while Marinelli gave the Hawks a four-run lead as she scored off a single by Taryn Grober.
Kapala added insurance runs in the fifth and seventh with solo home runs in each inning to make it 10-4 heading into Penn's final at-bats.
The Quakers would strike for two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but SJU starter Ashley Ventura would get three-straight outs with two runners on to seal the victory.
For the game, Kapala went 2-for-4 with two home runs, while Marinelli was 3-for-4 with three runs batted in. Ostaszewski, Abadie, Reilly and Grober each collected a pair of hits on the day, while Ventura improved to 6-13 on the year as she finished with six strike outs, while allowing five earned runs over seven innings.
The Hawks (15-22) are back in action this weekend at Rhode Island starting with a doubleheader at noon on Saturday.
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