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| Sarah Lawton (Fla. Southwestern) |
Florida Southwestern State College is ranked second in the country in NJCAA Division I softball, and they’re also second in the Region 8 Softball Coaches’ Poll.
The Bucs also recently wrapped up their third straight Suncoast Conference championship. Former Holy Cross standout and current freshman Sarah Lawton has been right in the middle of it.
In the conference-clinching doubleheader against State College of Florida, Lawton was the Game 1 winner in the circle. Lawton threw a complete game and gave up a single unearned run on three hits. She struck out three, walked two and improved her record to a solid 6-1.
Florida Southwestern has won eight games in a row overall and is an insane 20-0 at home.
Lawton is part of a pitching staff of five that has a low 1.35 ERA. As for Lawton, she has pitched in 20 games (seven starts) and is 6-1 with a 0.99 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 63.2 innings. The former Crusader right-hander has four complete games.
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| Milardo (Univ. of Saint Joseph) |
Alessandra Milardo, University of Saint Joseph softball
Lawton’s counterpart in the 2017 Class S state championship game is having a good freshman season in her own right.
Milardo, a former St. Paul standout, made the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll after solid performances in the circle and at the plate. Milardo won two of the four games the Blue Jays played, and she went 3-for-5 at the plate overall.
Milardo threw all seven innings in a 9-6 win at Bay Path on March 27. Bay Path is home to former Bristol Central standout Lauren Vallee. Milardo had a double in the game.
Milardo was also the winning pitcher in a 4-3 victory over Emmanuel on March 31. She went seven innings again, struck out six and walked three. At the plate, Milardo had two hits, a walk and a RBI.
Milardo has pitched in eight games (six starts) and is 5-1 with a 4.50 ERA. She has struck out 26, but walked just 11 in 42 innings of work.
McKenna Driscoll, University of Saint Joseph softball
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| Driscoll (Univ. of Saint Joseph) |
The Blue Jays have a single home run on the season, and belongs to Bristol Central’s former standout catcher.
Driscoll launched the homer in an 8-2 win at Bay Path on March 27. The home run happened to be a grand slam, and it snapped a 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth inning of the game. A two-out hit-by-pitch loaded the bases for Driscoll, and she didn’t miss her opportunity to make her opponent pay. Driscoll homered to left field, and USJ was on its way to victory.
A sophomore catcher and infielder, Driscoll has played in 10 of the 14 games this season. She is hitting .348 with the one home run, six RBI, five walks and a .483 on-base percentage.
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| Lemek (Univ. of Saint Joseph) |
Hannah Lemek, University of Saint Joseph lacrosse
Sticking with Bristol Central, this former Bristol Co-op standout fired in four goals in a 12-7 win over Dean College on March 29.
Three of the senior’s goals came in the second half, and two of them helped the Blue Jays pull away. With USJ ahead 8-7, Lemek scored two straight goals and the Blue Jays reasserted control. The goals were part of a three-goal total streak by Lemek, who also scored to make it 8-6.
Lemek took eight shots, and seven of them were on frame. She also had one assist for a total of nine points in the game. Her assist came on a goal by Charlotte Eberhardt that made the score 2-0 Blue Jays.
Lemek is first on the team in draw controls (11) and is tied for second in goals (4) and assists (1). Lemek’s five points put her alone in second place.
Nate Hickey, Southern Vermont College baseball
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| Hickey (Southern Vermont College) |
It has been a struggle overall for the Mountaineers (4-10), but this sophomore from Bristol Eastern is doing what he can at the plate to help his team.
In 11 games, Hickey is hitting .290 with a .421 on-base percentage. He has two doubles, three RBI and four walks. Hickey has also stolen three bases without getting caught.
Hickey has recorded two multi-hit games in the last six contests. On March 30, he had two hits, one RBI and three runs scored in a crazy 18-7 win at Dean College. Hickey’s RBI single in the top of the third inning put Southern Vermont ahead 9-6. He scored two of his three runs later in the game.
Statistics and information compiled from the team website of each athlete.
