Ramblers’ Home Opener Ends in Defeat to Saint Joseph’s

The Loyola softball team made their first home appearance of the season at Loyola’s Hoyne Field in three games — dropping two — against Saint Joseph’s University March 22-23. 

Game 1 March 22

The Ramblers warmed up quickly in the first inning when second-year utility player Maddy Hickey singled through the left side to bring home first-year infielder Alli Pawlowicz, putting Loyola up 1-0.

In the third inning, St. Joseph’s fourth-year utility player Hailey Malito doubled to left field, bringing in fourth-year infielders Sarah Cancila Kayla Tauber to put the Hawks in the lead at 2-1. 

An inning later, first-year outfielder Averi Vander Woude doubled to left field, bringing in fourth-year outfielder Riley Owens and tying the game at two. Fourth-year infielder Haley Wallace brought in third-year outfielder Sierra Sass with a double of her own shortly after, retaking a 3-2 lead for the Ramblers.

A Tauber ground out to second base in the sixth inning allowed fourth-year infielder Jenna Currie to score for the Hawks and put two more runners in scoring position. With bases loaded, Malito was walked, allowing fourth-year utility player Sierra Fretz to put St. Joseph’s up 5-3. 

In the seventh, Fretz singled through the left side to bring in Currie, while redshirt first-year Kasi Loser reached base on a fielder’s choice. Fretz later reached home for the final run of the game, cementing the Hawks’ first win 7-3.

Game 2 March 22

In the second matchup of the day, the Hawks opened scoring in the first inning when a wild pitch allowed Malito to score while also allowing fourth-year outfielder Meghan Sinkus to advance to second and third-year outfielder Riley York to third.

In the third inning, Sinkus reached first on a fielder’s choice, bringing home Malito, while a fielding error by Loyola second-year infielder Nat Lesnicki at home plate brought in fourth-year utility player Sarah Cancila for a 3-0 lead. 

Later in the inning, a Currie RBI fly out to centerfield allowed York to come in for the Hawks, extending the Hawks’ lead to four.

The Ramblers were unable to answer offensively for the rest of the game, which was capped off by a three-run homer from Malito in the final inning to seal the 7-0 St. Joseph’s victory.

Game 3 March 23

The final game of the weekend began with Owens being walked, advancing Wallace across home plate for a quick 1-0 lead.

Following three quiet innings, a passed ball in the fourth put the Hawks on the board, with York making her way home to tie. 

First-year infielder Addyson Borg hit a two RBI double in the bottom of the fourth, bringing Pawlowicz and Owens home for a 3-1 lead. The Ramblers stayed energized as Sass hit an RBI single down the left field line, bringing in Borg for the fourth run of the game.

It was all Ramblers in the fifth, beginning with an error by St. Joseph’s which brought in Owens and Vander Woude. First-year infielder Abby Johnson stole second and Pawlowicz scored, securing the seventh and final run of the game for a 7-1 Loyola win. 

Head coach Alicia Abbott said she was impressed with the way the Ramblers played on both offense and defense, despite not pulling off a win. 

“Our pitchers did a great job today of figuring out how to not walk people, how to not give up free bases and made balls get put in play,” Abbott said. “Our defense did a really good job not making a play bigger than it needed to be, and not rushing through it while our offense came through and did what they were supposed to do. I’m really proud of how we showed up today and I’m excited to see where we go from here.”