Buchanan Knocks 100th Hit, Heinsch and Poppett Go Yard in Sunday Softball Sweep of FDU

MADISON, N.J. — Senior Alexis Buchanan (Murrietta, Calif./Murrieta Valley) became the 18th player in St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) history and second in the team's Skyline era to join the 100-hit club as the Bears (11-6) posted 7-3 and 14-3 victories over FDU-Florham (7-9) to snap a five-game skid.

Sophomore Arianna Heinsch (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall Academy) blasted her first collegiate home run in game two. Rookie classmate Autumn Poppett (San Diego, Calif./Mission Hills) lifted her second of the season highlighting a five-hit, three-RBI day.

Gabriella Salvador (Staten Island, N.Y./New Dorp) and Brianna Kilimet (Valley Stream, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) both earned wins in the circle.

Game 1: St. Joseph's 7, FDU-Florham 3

Buchanan wasted no time getting her milestone hit knocking a two-out single in the first, moving to second on a wild pitch and scoring on an Ashleigh Hartwig (Santee, Calif./West Hills) double for an early lead but the Devils took advantage of a Bears miscue in the home half to tie the game at 1-all.

After both hurlers silenced the bats over the next two innings, the SJC broke through for three in the fourth. Vivian Tomovich (San Diego, Calif./Serra) opened the scoring with a RBI single, Autumn Poppett (San Diego, Calif./Mission Hills) stole home in a double steal and Maeve McKeon (Point Pleasant, N.J./Point Pleasant) brought home Tomovich with a double.

The navy and gray hung another three in the sixth after Poppett and Tomovich led off with back-to-back singles and McKeon brought them both home with her second-straight double and later scored on a Devil miscue for a 7-1 lead.

Making her second start in the circle, Salvador kept the hosts in check after the early unearned run tossing five straight scoreless innings before the Devils got two back in the seventh, but she went the distance for her first complete-game win and improved to 1-0. She scattered nine hits with one walk, allowing two earned runs and striking out two.

Four Bears compiled multi-hit games with McKeon (2-3, 3 RBI, R, 2 2B), Tomovich (2-3, 2 R, RBI, 3 SB), Poppett (2-4, 2 R, SB), and Hartwig (2-4, RBI, 2B) knocking two hits each. 

Game 2: St. Joseph's 14, FDU-Florham (5 inn)

The Bears scored four in the first and erupted for seven in the second for an 11-0 lead to take control of the contest. Buchanan opened the scoring in the first with a grounder and Hartwig singled home Heinsch for a 2-0 advantage. The Bears later loaded the bases and Lauren Van Der Kamp (Sacramento, Calif./Rosemont) drew a walk to push the lead to 4-0.

Heinsch drove in three runs in the seven-run second, leading off the inning with a solo blast and later knocking a two-run double. Van Der Kamp and Kristen Oddo (Brooklyn, N.Y./James Madison) drew bases-loaded walks that brought home runs, while Poppett and Sierra Bedrin (Rocklin, Calif./Whitney) also collected RBI in the big frame.

The Devils cut into the Bears lead with three in bottom of the second, but that would be all the offense as they were held to just four hits in the contest. Kilimet tossed three innings and allowed three hits and three runs to improve to 3-1. Allison Kaspar (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point) tossed two shutout innings of one-hit ball, striking out two.

Poppett's two-run blast in the third highlighted a 3-for-3 game at the dish with three RBI and three runs scored. Hartwig (3 R, 2 RBI) and Heinsch (3 RBI, 2 R) both finished 2-for-3 with a double and combined for five RBI and five runs.

The Bear Facts

• Buchanan reached the milestone in 88 games and 264 at-bats — the sixth fastest to the milestone in games played.

Next Up

The Bears host John Jay College on Thursday, April 14 in a non-conference doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at sjcbears.com/live