Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 
CLERMONT, Fla. -- Colby College pitcher Julia Saul (pictured) took a perfect game into the sixth inning before settling for a one-hit shutout to lift the Mules to a 2-0 non-conference softball win over Union College on Thursday.
The Mules scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie Calvin College in a 9-8 loss in eight innings in the second game of the day. The Mules are 4-4 on their Florida trip and have splits of doubleheaders all four days of competition. Colby closes out the trip with a 9 a.m. game against Elmhurst and a 2 p.m. contest with New Paltz on Friday.
Saul went seven innings, had three strikeouts, and no walks. With no Colby errors or hit batters, Saul got the first out of the sixth inning and was five outs away from a perfect game. Union, however, went to its bench and pinch-hitter Kelsey Hartsoe doubled. Saul did get the next five outs to earn her complete game.
Katie McLaughlin had two of Colby's five hits and scored both runs against Union (2-8). Robin Spofford and Grace Farnkoff each had one hit and one RBI, while Kathleen Mason had the other single.
With one out in the third, McLaughlin singled and moved to second on Spofford's sacrifice bunt. Grace Farnkoff followed with a single to drive in the game-winning run.
McLaughlin led off the fifth inning with a double and scored on Spofford's single.
In the wild second game, the Mules refused to give up and turned an 8-3 deficit into an extra inning game. Stunningly, Colby scored all five runs against Calvin with two outs. Holly Lallis walked to start the rally and moved to second on a wild pitch. McLaughliln had an infield single to push Lallis to third and both runners moved up a base on another wild pitch. Spofford walked and Farnkoff followed with an RBI single to score McLaughlin. Skylar Labbe walked to load the bases and Calvin brought in a reliever. The Mules scored all three runs to tie the game at 8-8 when the Calvin third baseman had a throwing error.
Wiley Holton was able to pitch her way out of a jam in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings.
In softball rules, a runner is placed on second base at the start of the inning during extra inning play. The Mules had runners at first and third with one out, but were not able to score in the top of the eighth. Calvin used a sacrifice bunt to move the placed runner to third and then had a single to win the game.
Farnkoff capped a big day with three hits (double), three RBI, and two runs. First-year Carly Swartz added a pair of hits, McLaughlin scored two runs and had one hit, and Lallis and Labbe each scored, had one hit, and two walks.
The teams were tied 2-2 after the first inning, but the Knights (8-4) took control with five runs in the bottom of the third.
Calvin box: http://gocolbymules.com/sports/sball/2016-17/boxscores/20170323_ck8d.xml
