Army Caps Spring Break Against Columbia, La Salle

Saturday, March 16

Clearwater, Fla.

9 AM

Army West Point

10-15

Columbia

4-9

Army West Point

Columbia

Army Caps Spring Break Against Columbia, La Salle

March 16, 2019 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Army West Point softball team closed out its annual Spring Break trip to Florida by earning a split against Columbia and La Salle at the USF Michelle Smith Pediatric Cancer Spring Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Complex on Saturday.

The Black Knights topped the Lions, 9-7, before dropping a hard-fought 3-1 battle versus the Explorers.

Army moved to 10-16, while the Lions dropped to 4-9 and the Explorers improved to 5-9.

Senior Ashley Yoo paced the team offensively by going a combined 4-for-5 on the afternoon with two RBI. Sophomore catcher Ally Snelling added three hits from the early game, while rookie Bianca Gonzalez and second-year Taylor Drayton posted two hits on the day. Gonzalez legged out the squad's only triple of the day, while Snelling, Drayton and sophomore Julia Wyatt each showcased their power by recording a double. Drayton matched Yoo as the only Cadets with multiple RBIs between the two games.

It was a complete team effort in the circle today as senior Renee Poirier, junior Macey Newbary, sophomores Madison Bryant and Drayton and rookie Jolie Duong all toed the rubber for Army. Drayton tossed a team-high 5.2 innings against La Salle, scattering five hits while striking out five.

GAME 1: ARMY 9, COLUMBIA 7
HOW IT HAPPENED

The Black Knights initiated the scoring in the second inning with a three-run outburst.
Gonzalez drove in the game's first run in the form of Snelling who started the rally with a one-out single.
Katie Ontiveros plated Ballesteros for the second run of the inning on a sac fly before Yoo scored Gonzalez on a base knock of her own.
Snelling extended the lead in the following frame, bringing in Drayton who reached on a double to left center.
Columbia responded in the home half of the third with a three-run home run by Max Ortega to cut the Army lead to one, 4-3.
Army gained some breathing room with two runs in the fifth inning, but the Lions matched that offensive output in the bottom of the inning to keep it a one-run game.
Ballesteros singled in Maddie Kim who reached on a leadoff walk and later got caught in a pickle between first and second to allow Reilly to score from third.
The Black Knights posted their second three-run inning of the game in the sixth.
Gonzalez led the inning off by legging out a triple to right before scoring two batters later on a bunt single by Yoo.
Drayton added the big hit in the rally with a two-run single to left center to make it a 9-5 game.
Columbia scored twice in the bottom of the sixth, but Poirier was able to shut the door in the seventh to preserve the win.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Snelling tallied a season-high three hits.
It was the second time the Las Vegas, Nev., native has reached this mark in a game after doing so on May 6 vs. Lafayette.
She posted her team-leading 15^th RBI of the season.
Snelling added her fourth double of the year, tying the mark she set in her rookie campaign.
Kim saw her season-long eight-game hitting streak snapped but extended her on base streak to 10 consecutive games.
The senior from Santa Clara, Calif., scored multiple runs in the same game for the first time this season.
Duong earned two free passes for the second time this season.
The Houston, Texas, native became the first Army player to reach 10 walks on the year.
She swiped her team-leading seventh bag of the season.
Drayton collected her fourth multi-hit performance of 2019 and 14^th of her career.
The Clayton, N.C., native notched her first multi-RBI game of the year.
Ballesteros scored her team-leading 14^th run of the season.
Gonzalez documented her fifth multi-hit effort of the year.
The Norco, Calif., native legged out her first-career triple.
She scored a personal-best two runs in the game.
Ontiveros contributed her fourth hit in seven games this season.

GAME 2: LA SALLE 3, ARMY 1
HOW IT HAPPENED

La Salle opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a pair of runs.
Emily Conway scored from first on a Natalie Rios double after leading off with a single to give the Explorers an early lead.
Rios would later come around to score on a pass ball.
Drayton settled in after the first and retired 11-straight hitters, including four strikeouts over that run.
The Explorers added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 3-1.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

Yoo tied Snelling for the team lead in multi-hit games with six apiece.
The Yorba Linda, Calif., native posted back-to-back multi-hit efforts for the first time since April 15-20, 2017, when she did so in three-straight games against Boston U. twice and Quinnipiac.
Kim stolen her second base of the year setting a new personal best.
Ballesteros tied Duong for the team lead in walks with 11.
Drayton struck out a career-high five Explorers in the second game.
The Clayton, N.C., native swiped her fifth base of the season.
Reilly documented her team-leading 24^th base knock of the year.
Wyatt slugged her third hit of the season and second double.

UP NEXT

The Black Knights open Patriot League play next weekend as they welcome Holy Cross to the Army Softball Complex.
The three-game series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. with the series finale at noon on Sunday.