WARRIORS SPLIT WITH SAINTS FOR DEFENSIVE-MINDED WHAC WIN

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - The Warriors (3-30, 1-19) fought 40-degree weather for a gritty first-game win against the Siena Heights Saints (13-21, 3-11) on Saturday, April 20, splitting with the team from Adrian for the program's first conference win in three seasons. Sophomore Jaya Forti paved the way for the Warriors' win, securing both a crucial hit and the winning run to help RCU take a lead they never lost. 

GAME ONE - W, 2-1

Following a very quick first two innings, all the scoring in the first game would be done in the third inning, beginning with a Saints score off a fielding error. In a dangerous spot, RCU's Makayla Orman helped the home team escape a bases-loaded situation with a critical strikeout to hold up the Saints with one run. Junior Kylee Dillard helped get the Warriors started by taking advantage of a Saints error to reach first, eventually reaching third thanks to a single from Forti. 

Following Forti's single, junior Madelyn Latham singled to score Dillard a run before a fielding error gave Forti an opening for the go-ahead score. From there, the teams found themselves locked in a defensive battle, with Forti helping the Warriors escape another bases-loaded position with a running flyout catch. Senior Alicia McConnell followed up in the fifth inning with two critical ground outs to prevent a Saints score in the fifth inning. 

The final inning was nerve-wracking for a large Warrior crowd, with the team up one run and a win in sight. Junior pitcher Rachael Winkel gave the Warriors great opportunities for flyouts, setting up Forti for a flyout before the pitcher retrieved a pop-out for the second out of the final inning. With the win in the balance, Forti made another sprinting effort to secure the third out to the joy of the Warrior crowd. 

GAME TWO - L, 5-13

The second game started hot for the Warriors, who jumped out to a 5-0 lead, beginning with back-to-back doubles from Forti and Latham to score three runs. Another double from junior Caroline O'Donohue primed the Warriors for another scoring opportunity, as an errant Saints pitch scored Latham before Payton Parrish singled to secure a run for O'Donohue. 

Following a solid second inning from the Warriors, things turned ugly in the third, as Siena Heights exploded for seven unanswered runs following a litany of errors by the Warriors. To make matters worse, the Saints found their grove on the bats, finding the ball for several deep hits to continue the run. Things slowed down in a big way for the Warriors from there, who never regained the lead from there. 

The fifth inning onward was a strong series for the visitors, who held RCU scoreless while continuing to tack on runs themselves. Unfortunately for RCU, the momentum didn't shift for the remainder of the game, with the doubleheader ending in the bottom of the sixth inning. 

UP NEXT

The Warriors will get a night's rest before returning to Rochester High School for a 1 p.m. doubleheader with the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils for their season's final games. The Warriors will celebrate the careers of seniors Alicia McConnell and Jayde Dominey-McLean between games during the doubleheader. 

Hussein Murray - RCU Athletic Communications

Featured Image: Hanna Swanson - RCU Athletics