St. Francis (IL) News
Fri, Apr 9, 2010 - [Softball]
Freshman Jordan Halata notched her first pitching win and first home run in the win over Harris-Stowe.
Freshman Jordan Halata notched her first pitching win and first home run in the win over Harris-Stowe.

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa - Freshman pitcher Jordan Halata (Lockport H.S./Homer Glen, IL) hit her first home run and earned her first collegiate victory as University of St. Francis started a winning day one with a 3-2 victory over Harris-Stowe State University (Mo.) at the Sammons Classic softball tourney hosted by Iowa Wesleyan College.

The Saints blanked Mount Mercy (Iowa) 5-0 in their third Friday game after dropping a 1-0 verdict to Hannibal-LaGrange College (Mo.) in their middle game of the day.

USF (10-16) got complete game performances from both Halata and sophomore right-hander Jackie Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) in their two wins.

Halata (1-1) allowed just 5 hits over 7 innings, with no more than a single hit in any inning. Her bid for a shutout ended in the sixth when she was touched for a 2-run homer that sliced her lead to 3-2. She struck out one batter and walked two.

The Saints took a 2-0 lead over Harris-Stowe in the fourth inning. Senior second baseman Beth Boezeman (Lincoln-Way East H.S./Frankfort, IL) hit a one-out triple and scored on senior Lynley Louzensky's (Tinley Park H.S./Oak Forest, IL) squeeze bunt. Sophomore third baseman Jenny Festin (Lockport H.S./Lockport, IL) drove in the second run of the inning with her second hit of the game.
                                                                                      
Halata legged out an inside-the-park homer in the fifth to push the lead to 3-0 and score what would be the game-winning run.

USF lost a heartbreaker to Hannibal LaGrange, with the Trojans scoring the game's only run in the sixth inning. Boezeman pitched 5.1 innings of scoreless ball for the Saints, scattering seven hits and walking four. Frey came on in relief and was charged with the loss after being touched for the game's only run.

USF managed just a pair of hits in the second game, with singles coming from junior right fielder Kaylee Shell (Wilmington H.S./Wilmington, IL) and junior shortstop Lauren Panek (Lemont H.S./Lemont, IL).

Frey (4-6) fired a 3-hitter in the third game of the day and notched the Saints' first shutout of the season. She struck out five and walked none.

USF got all the runs it needed in a 3-run fourth. Consecutive singles by senior center fielder Kendel Behrens (Morris H.S./Morris, IL), Shell and Boezeman started the inning with Behrens scoring on Boezeman's hit. Following a sacrifice bunt by senior catcher Stacy Heap (Minooka H.S./Minooka, IL), USF got two more runs on a double by junior shortstop Caitlin Dolan (Lincoln-Way East H.S./Frankfort, IL).
USF added another pair of runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Boezeman and a perfectly executed double steal by Boezeman and Behrens.

USF concludes play in the tourney on Saturday morning with a game against host Iowa Wesleyan and a rematch with Harris-Stowe.