The No. 13 Saint Xavier University softball squad has continued their impressive season with yet another winning streak, this time of 12 straight games. SXU has not lost a game in the month of April so far with the month over halfway completed.
The Cougars have continued to move up the rankings as well all the way from No. 25 in the preseason poll up to No. 13 (as of April 14) currently. Saint Xavier has had numerous people step up for this team during this season and that is why this team is currently 31-3 on the season.
Since April 9, SXU has had a couple of rainout days including two match-ups with No. 17 Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) that was supposed to take place on Wednesday April 10 and then again on Friday, April 12. Both games were rained out and have been scheduled for Wednesday, April 24.
Beginning with the games on Saturday, April 13, against Cardinal Stritch University (Wis.), the Cougars won both games by the combined score of 16-1. Junior pitcher Megan Nonnemacher pitched a complete game with six strikeouts and giving up zero runs en route to the complete game shutout for her 15th win (15-1) of the season.
Saint Xavier got the scoring started in the second inning with an unearned run off a fielding error by the visiting Wolves. SXU then got a run in the fifth and sixth inning, but SXU poured on four runs in the sixth inning for the 7-0 win.
Junior catcher/first baseman Ariel Hinton chimed in with two RBI’s on the game while freshman pitcher Nicole Nonnemacher, sophomore catcher Megan James, senior third baseman Kate Mollohan and senior shortstop Ashley Sullivan all chipped in an RBI of their own.
The Cougars started off the second game down 1-0 after the top half of the third inning, but a double by sophomore first baseman Amanda Hainlen plated James to tie the game at one apiece. James then reached on a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning which scored sophomore outfielder Shannon Lauret and broke the 1-1 tie.
Saint Xavier went on to put up seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning which halted the game right there and SXU was victorious 9-1. Lauret, Sullivan and Hainlen all had two RBI’s paired with the one RBI from James in the second game of the double-header.
The Cougars traveled to Joliet, Ill., for their next test against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) rival University of Saint Francis (Ill.). Saint Xavier quickly found themselves down 2-0 following the first inning, but Megan Nonnemacher went the rest of the game without giving up another run en route to her 16th win on the campaign.
SXU got on the scoreboard in the fourth inning on a single through the right side by freshman second baseman Kasey Kanaga which cut the deficit in half, 2-1. Hinton had a single to right field which plated James to knot the game up at two in the fifth inning.
A run in the top of the seventh by the Cougars broke the tie and gave Saint Xavier the 3-2 victory. Hainlen had a sacrifice fly which scored Nicole Nonnemacher for their third run of the game.
In game two, SXU was the one that jumped out the early lead after scoring two runs in the first and then again in the third, the host Fighting Saints were not able to get back into it and the Cougars came away with a two-game sweep following the 4-2 second game win.
Hainlen had a double to right center which gave Saint Xavier their first run and shortly after that Hinton had a single to the same spot to give SXU its second run. Hinton came up in the third inning and had a double to center field this time which scored two Cougars in Mollohan and James.
Saint Xavier will battle Trinity Christian College (Ill.) on the road on Wednesday, April 17. The double-header make-up game from April 11 will begin at 2:30 p.m., with the second game following right after that.
Greg Pilafas
Deputy Editor in Chief
pilafas.g01@mymail.sxu.edu