KISSIMMEE, FLORIDA – The York College softball squad opened the 2023 season in impressive fashion as they earned a pair of shutout wins on day one of their spring trip. The Spartans downed Marian (Wisconsin) 5-0 in the opener and then blanked Kenyon 1-0 in game two. The games are the first two of eight games during the trip to Kissimmee, Florida.
The revamped Spartan pitching staff was dominating on opening day. Natalie Rietema and Amanda Criss combined to throw 14 shutout innings as they allowed just four hits with nine strikeouts and one walk in the two wins.
 
Game One vs. Marian
Records: York 1-0, Marian 4-1
Runs: York 5, Marian 0
Hits: York 8, Marian 1
Errors: York 2, Marian 4
WP: Natalie Rietema (1-0), LP: Emalee Depa (1-1)
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans broke into the scoring column in the second inning. With Daphney Adams at third and Emma Wade at first, the Spartans sent Wade to second. The Sabres threw down to second but a Marian error allowed Adams to trot home from third for the 1-0 lead.
• York got their second run in third as Taylor Walls scored on a Sabre error for the 2-0 lead. The lead grew to 3-0 one batter later as Amanda Criss singled up the middle to score Alyssa Harhigh.
• Those three runs were more than enough for freshman pitcher Natalie Rietema as the right-hander dominated in her collegiate debut. Rietema twirled a one-hit shutout as she surrendered just a first inning single in the win. She struck out five, walked one and hit one batter as she earned her first collegiate victory.
• York tacked on a pair of runs in the fifth as freshman Reagan Wolford made her first collegiate hit a memorable one, driving in two runs on a single to push the lead to 5-0.
 
Spartan Offensive Leaders
Emma Wade: 2-for-3, 2 SB
Taylor Walls: 1-for-4, 1 run
Alyssa Harhigh: 1-for-4, 1 run, 2B
Amanda Criss: 1-for-3, 1 RBI
Reagan Wolford: 1-for-4, 2 RBI
 
Spartan Pitching
Natalie Rietema: 7.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 5 K, 1 BB, 1 HBP
 
Game Two vs. Kenyon
Records: York 2-0, Kenyon 0-4
Runs: York 1, Kenyon 0
Hits: York 6, Kenyon 3
Errors: York 0, Kenyon 0
WP: Amanda Criss (1-0); LP: Sofia Zayas (0-2)
 
How It Happened
• The Spartans had something cooking early in the game as they had two runners on in the bottom of the first but a flyout to center ended York's threat. The Owls had a chance in the top of the second as they got two of their three hits in the game but Amanda Criss got a strikeout and a ground out to end the threat.
• Criss cruised from there as she retired the last 17 Owls she faced in the game. That allowed the Spartans to finally get on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning. Alyssa Harhigh started the uprising with a lead-off hit by pitch. Daphney Adams then hit a booming double to center as Harhigh cruised around the bases for the game's lone run.
• Criss got a pair of fly outs to center and a pop up to second in the top of the seventh to close out the win.
 
Spartan Offensive Leaders
Daphney Adams: 2-for-2, 1 RBI, 2B, HBP
Reagan Wolford: 1-for-2, 2B
Kaela Fritz: 1-for-1
 
Spartan Pitching
Amanda Criss: 7.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 4 K, 0 BB
 
Spartan Notes
The game with Marian is the first between the two programs while the Spartans picked up their first win in their three games with Kenyon … York is now 4-0 in season-openers under head coach Kaitlyn Dulac … the Spartan roster features three new pitchers as Dulac reloaded the staff after having all three pitchers from 2022 graduate, taking along with them 225.1 innings of work … senior Daphney Adams went a combined 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two doubles in the pair of wins … York struck out just four times in the two games while they drew three walks and were hit by three pitches … the Spartans out-hit Marian and Kenyon by a combined total of 14-4 … York had four doubles in the two games … York went 4-for-5 in stolen bases in the two games … the two shutouts doubled York's total from all of 2022.
 
Up Next
The Spartans return to action on Tuesday morning when they face off against the United States Coast Guard Academy in game one at 9:00 pm. They face Mount Union in game two on Tuesday at 2:00 pm in Kissimmee.