Kaitlin Wright batting in a 2023 game SXUAthletics
Saint Xavier took on Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on Wednesday, March 27 in a double header. Their record currently stands at 12-8.
Unfortunately, SXU fell out of the Coaches’ Poll in the latest ranking from March 20, dropping from the 20 spot.
Game One: 3-1 (W)
Senior Laila Summers got the nod in game one and tossed a complete game shutout with six strikeouts, one walk, and one run on seven hits.
Second baseman Aubrey Wroble and designated player Abbie Carr each had two hits in the win. Carr racked up two doubles and an RBI while Wroble scored the first run of the game and stole a bag.
Sophomore third baseman Kaitlyn Wright and senior first baseman Alexus Reese also drove in runs; Wright driving in the first run of the game in the third, and Reese bringing around an insurance run in the seventh.
The Cougars looked solid on both sides of the ball; making the plays they needed to and taking advantage of errors SMWC made.
Although not a high scoring game, the Cougars continually prove their offense is strong enough to find different ways to win games.
Game Two: 4-3 (W)
In game two of the double header, junior Julianne Claas got the start, picking up the win after throwing 5.2 innings. She gave up three runs on six hits and struck out two and walked three.
Summers came in relief to close out the game, throwing 1.1 innings and striking out one.
Wright powered the offense in game two, driving in two of the four runs. Her double in the fifth got the Cougars on the board, and her sacrifice fly in the sixth was the winning run for SXU.
Saint Xavier was down 3-1 through five innings and were running out of time to get the offense going, but they managed to rally in the top of the sixth to take their first lead of the game.
The sixth got started with a single off the bat of Reese who was lifted for a pinch runner (junior Julia Czart).
Following the single, sophomore outfielder Hayley Matlock and freshman outfielder Megan Kirnbauer both reached on errors; Czart scored on Kirnbauer’s reach to make it 3-2.
Designated player Kyla Kissee tied it up with a sacrifice fly of her own to center, and three batters later Wright collected the winning run with the sacrifice fly to right.
The Cougars are a very good team with talent from top to bottom of the lineup– Now that they’re more than halfway done with the season, they need to get in a groove.
Pitching for Saint Xavier is the strongest part of their game, Summers and Claas consistently throw full games with minimal runs;, always giving the offense a fighting chance; but pitching won’t always carry them to a win.
SXU’s offense is very good, they’re great hitters, smart base runners, and find lots of ways to produce runs. The problem is that they lack power.
The season began on Feb. 10, and in seven weeks they’ve only hit one home run. Granted, through the first seven weeks of the 2023 season they had only hit four home runs, there was still more proof of power in the lineup.
Saint Xavier turned on the power in the second half of last season, finishing with 21 home runs; but with six less regular season games this year, they don’t have as much time to start producing runs with power.
That being said, there still shouldn’t be much concern for the lack of home runs from the Cougars’ bats. To reiterate, they’re a very talented team and know how to score in a variety of ways, and behind pitchers like Summers and Claas, they’re bound to find themselves in a winning streak soon.
Their next games are Friday the 5 against Indiana University South Bend at home. Game one is scheduled for 12 p.m. with the second game to follow at 2 p.m.