Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 Adrian Box Score | Goshen Box Score

CLERMONT, Fla. – On their third day of competition, the Davenport softball team had to pull off two late comebacks today.  They pulled out both moving their season record to 5-1 thus far.  Sam Cole pitched all 14 innings as DU defeated Adrian College (2-1) and Goshen College (5-3).  The Panthers will now get a day to rest before two games on Thursday at the NTC fields.

The first match-up of the day against NCAA D3 Adrian College saw the Panthers struggle at the plate at critical moments in the game.  The team garnered six hits, but left 10 runners on base.

Adrian was the first to score when they went up 1-0 in the fourth inning.  DU would come back right away in the top of the fifth getting three runners on base, but they could not convert any runs.  It wasn't until the sixth that Davenport got their bats working.

Freshman Paige Sant'Angelo started things off with a double to center field.  Ali Dawson joined her on an error, while Tami Weber singled to load the bases.  Kayla Gonyea was next up and drove in the first run on a sacrifice fly.  Amber Getty then singled to bring DU's run total to two, which is where the inning would end.

The rest of the game would remain scoreless thanks to Cole's solid pitching and DU's consistent defense giving the Panthers a 2-1 victory to start the day.

As the sun finally burned off the fog it was time for the Panthers to face Goshen College again.  DU was hoping for a similar outcome as they won 10-1 the day before.  Davenport was the first to score as they drove in two runs in the second inning.  With the bases loaded, Gonyea got her second and third RBIs of the day with a single to center field making the score 2-0.

The fifth inning was big for Goshen as they sent all nine batters up to the plate.  Goshen got two base runners on two consecutive Davenport errors.  From there the Maple Leafs would score three runs.  Cole was able to remain focused finishing the inning with three Goshen runners still on base.

In the top of the seventh Davenport had their backs against the wall down 3-2.  Sant'Angelo started the comeback momentum with a single down the left field line then Morgan Greenfield  reached on a fielder's choice.  Two outs later Senior Katie Cornman stepped up to the plate.  Facing a full count, she smacked a double deep in center field driving in both runners.  Tami Weber then reached base on an error allowing Cornman to score the final run of the day.

DU would make quick work of the last three Goshen batters giving them the 5-3 victory.  On the day Sam Cole had nine strikeouts. Sant'Angelo led the offense with four hits. 

Post-Game Comments

Ronda Varnesdeel on the performance of Sam Cole: "Sam continues to be a consistent performer on the mound. We have put a lot on her plate in our first six games and she had been up to the challenge in doing her part to help the team be successful. There are not many pitchers that have her ability to withstand the long haul like Sam has."

Varnesdeel on her team's performance: "The nice thing is we are winning ball games but we still have a large room for improvement. This team has shown their ability to produce timely hits when needed but as a whole we need to gain more consistency one through nine in our lineup."

Katie Cornman on her game winning double against Goshen: "In the seventh all I could really think of was to be a leader for my team, I didn't want to let them down. I had been struggling at the plate all day and I really just wanted to step up and do my part."

Post-Game Notes

Today was the first-ever meeting between DU and Adrian College…DU now stands at 4-0 versus Goshen…Paige Sant'Angelo now has eight hits in six games as a freshman…Sam Cole's career record now stands at 45-20...Davenport will face Houghton College on Thursday at 9:00 am and Saint Anselm at 11:00 am...both games will feature live audio on the "DAN"

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