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Bergren’s grand slam propels Trojans past Demons
Fairfield escapes Washington with victory after losing pair in previous meeting
WASHINGTON — Fairfield softball got a little taste of redemption on Thursday night in Washington.
Coming in, the Demons had bested the Trojans twice in a pair of matchups 11-9 and 6-1, but it was Fairfield night this time around.
Fairfield waltzed out of Washington with the 10-3 victory.
The Trojans had it going early and often in the Southeast Conference clash, as they scored six runs between the first and second inning all while holding Washington scoreless.
At the plate, catcher Lilly Bergren was a difference maker.
The sophomore went an outstanding 4-for-5 with four RBIs. All four of those RBIs came off a grand slam in the second inning, giving the Trojans an advantage they would never lose.
It was the first home run of her career.
Fairfield senior ace Coty Engle said the Trojans and her herself came in with an edge after Washington doubled up on them the first time around.
“We came in saying ‘we are not going to get swept’,” Engle said. “Last time I was getting frustrated. I couldn’t get any of my pitches to work. Today they were actually working so it felt good that I could help my team out.”
Engle did well in the circle and had a strong defensive showing behind her. In her seven innings pitched, Engle allowed three runs (one earned) on eight hits and seven strikeouts.
Washington struggled to get the bats going this time around, but finally got on the board in the fourth.
With one run in the fourth and two more in the fifth, the Demons were able to cut the Trojan lead to three, 6-3, but Fairfield plated two each in both the sixth and seventh.
“We’re starting slow in all phases,” Washington head coach Ben Obermann said. “We’re playing behind a lot. It’s a multitude of things, giving up freebases, walks or errors. We dug ourself a hole and then they hit a grand slam. Then it’s hard to hit Coty Engle when she’s dialed in so it made it tough for us to come back.”
For Engle, the will to turn it around says a lot about this team, especially the younger players.
“Being able to bounce back and not let up shows this team has grit to be honest,” Engle said. “They’re going to be so good as they get older too.”
As for the Demons, they used their weekend off as a much-needed break.
“This weekend is a much-needed break mentally and physically,” Obermann said. “It’s going to be our first one off. We’re trying to get healthy at the right time. We’re just going to continue trusting in the process. If we do that we’ll get to where we want to be.”
For Fairfield, Olivia Hollander finished with a pair of hits and two RBIs.
Elyse Setterstrom and Savannah Hollander both ended with one hit and one RBI.
Laney Norris, Morgan Ament, Leah Helmick and Faith Jones all had a hit as well.
For Washington, Leighton Salazar, Ella Greiner and Kendall Hinrichsen all had two hits. Salazar tallied an RBI as well.
Haley Mitchell and Colbie Greiner each notched a hit, with Greiner picking up an RBI too.
In the circle for the Demons, Isabella Salazar and Colbie Greiner gave up a combined 10 runs (nine earned) on 12 hits, four walks and four strikeouts.
Fairfield improves to 7-9 on the season, while Washington drops to 14-10.
