Brooke Caldwell in action (photo by Cecil Ramsey).
They saved the best for last.
The Fredonia State Blue Devils closed their annual Florida trip with a pair of wins Saturday, 1-0 over Farmingdale State behind the pitching of Kendall Phillips, and 7-5 over Trinity (Conn.) with their best offensive output of the spring so far.
A sophomore transfer from SUNY Brockport, Phillips allowed four hits and one walk while striking out 13 batters for her first victory in a Blue Devil uniform. She didn't allow a runner to reach third base and retired seven of the last batters, four of them on strikeouts.
Fredonia State's lone run came in the last of the third inning. After two hard-hit outs by her teammates, Brooke Caldwell lined an opposite double down the right-field line which nicked the first baseman's glove on the way by. Allie Wandell followed with an RBI single down the left-field line which eluded the back-handed attempt by the Farmingdale State third baseman.
After 10 straight losses to open the season (including three to nationally ranked opponents), the 1-0 win allowed the Blue Devils to breathe a sigh of relief. "The pressure was just building and we were wondering if it was ever going to happen," Fredonia State Head Coach Tony Ciccarello said.
The momentum, however, didn't carry over immediately against Trinity. The Blue Devils were trailing 2-0 after four innings before the offense got rolling. A sacrifice fly by Wandell, an RBI single by Chloe Whittingham, and an RBI double by Kirsten Lajewski resulted in a 5-5 tie after six innings and set the stage for the game-winning rally in the top of the seventh.
Alexa Bogad singled to start the rally, Whittingham dropped a sacrifice bunt, and Kayla Jo Lynn singled and advanced to third on a throw to put runners on second and third. Kate Kenny then grounded deep to short and an overthrow at first allowed Bogad and Lynn to score and break the tie.
Fredonia State's 11-hit attack, their best this spring, included two hits each Wandell, Lynn, and Arianne LeRouzes. Megan Guidry scored two runs and made a rally stifling shoestring catch in centerfield while freshman Sabrina Edwards-Smith earned the win -- her first as a collegian -- with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief. She came in after starter Vanessa Galbraith and reliever Mack Celauro made solid appearances.
"The lessons learned," Ciccarello said, "and the mental toughness developed during our first 10 games were a big part of both wins."
NOTES: Phillips lowered her earned run average to 1.79 this spring. In seven appearances covering 27 1/3 innings, she has recorded 42 strikeouts ... Six of Fredonia State's 11 hits against Trinity were by freshmen...The Blue Devils played 10 of their 12 Florida games at Hancock Park, with Saturday's pair on Field No. 1 their first games at the five-field complex...Next up is a doubleheader Wednesday at SUNY Geneseo, It'll be the first non-conference meeting between the two schools who were SUNYAC rivals until this season. Geneseo has joined the Empire 8.
