By DAVID MEISTER
Sports Editor
With Spring Break now in the books, it’s time to recap the first few games of the lacrosse season as well as the softball and baseball teams’ trips south.
Starting with lacrosse, the team started off 1-1 after a loss to Mercy College to open the season and then chalking up their first win on the road against the Post University Eagles, 14-10.
They looked to make it a two game win streak on March 2 against their Upstate Challenge rival, Le Moyne Dolphins but fell, 18-11. Senior Carter Badour lod the Saint Rose offense with five goals on the day, behind him was junior Jordyn Marchiano with three goals.
Their next match was slated for last Tuesday the fifth against Saint Thomas Aquinas but the game was postponed.
Their next matchup was their home opener on Saturday against the Southern New Hampshire Penmen which took place at Bob Ford Field on the UAlbany campus where they fell 14-9. Badour once again dictated the pace for the Golden Knights offense on the afternoon with four goals. Sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Gill had a career high 23 saves despite the loss.
The team is 1-3 in the early going and will look to return to the winner’s circle on Saturday when they host the Merrimack Warriors at home at the Plumeri Sports Complex at 1 p.m.
The softball team spent their break with a 12 game schedule playing throughout Florida in their annual NTC Spring Games against schools from throughout the country. They split those games with an even .500 record at 6-6. Their wins game against the Northern State Wolves, The USciences Devils, the UMary Marauders, the Western Oregon Wolves, the Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals, and the Concordia Clippers.
In their first win of the season against Northern State, Saint Rose jumped out of the gates early, scoring three runs in the second inning. Senior Briana Bowen hit a two-run double and freshman Taylor Matlock walked earlier in the frame which brought one home as well. The Wolves bounced back in the fourth inning to take a 4-3 lead but the Golden Knights came back in the sixth, thanks to two bases loaded walks in the stanza by Bowen and senior Beth Jones.
In the last game of the trip last Wednesday against Concordia, Saint Rose pitched a shutout, 8-0 in six innings. Freshman pitcher Samantha Allen had a strong day, only allowing one batter to reach base out of the first 15 Clippers. Sophomore Ryane Brush hit a home run in the top of the first inning and set the tone for the day. Sophomore Savanna Liverio went 2-3 on the day with three RBIs.
The team will be back in action for their home opener on March 20 with a doubleheader against Le Moyne which is set to start at 3 p.m.
The baseball team’s trip throughout Georgia and the Carolinas only lasted seven games due to weather canceling more than half of them. They went 2-2 with wins against the Benedict College Tigers and the Clarion University Golden Eagles.
They defeated Benedict by a score of 16-12. Saint Rose put up five runs in the top of the third inning in a back and forth affair in which they came out on top. Seniors Kenny Fils-Aime and Justin Sportman each had two RBIs on the day.
The win against Clarion was by a count of 9-3. The Golden Eagles jumped out early with a 3-0 lead after four innings but the Golden Knights put up big numbers in the 6th and 7th innings to pull ahead and take the victory. Fils-Aime and Sportman continued their offensive surge with another set of two RBIs each.
On Saturday, the team took on the Mansfield Mountaineers and came away with their third straight win by a score of 14-7. The Golden Knights offense was already up 9-0 after two innings. The offense was led by senior Nicolas Teitter who finished the the night with four RBIs and going three for five from the plate. Senior Brandon Budlong was on the hill for Saint Rose and pitched five innings while only allowing three runs.
The team is now 4-5 and has two more games in North Carolina before returning back to New York for their next game on March 21 on the road against the Saint Thomas Aquinas Spartans.
