ST. LOUIS, MO – The Principia College softball team is back in action as they began their spring 2026 season with a bang. The Panthers traveled down to St. Louis on Saturday morning for a doubleheader on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University and earned a dominant 11-2 victory in game one before falling 2-0 in game two.
The Panthers have an influx of new talent this season to pair with their veteran leaders. Three Principia newcomers stood out with starring roles in their game one victory. Freshman infielder
Sophie Wegrzyn had a historic debut for the Panthers as she set a new program record with 3 doubles in one game, while adding 5 runs batted in and a run scored. Junior transfer outfielder
Paige Morris also had a great day at the plate going 3-4 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs. Freshman starting pitcher
Emilee Saggio won her first collegiate start by pitching all 7 innings and only giving up 2 runs with 4 strikeouts. Saggio also got two hits and an RBI at the plate.
Among the Panther veterans, junior shortstop
Megan Lupton scored 3 runs thanks to 3 big hits, including an RBI double. Fellow juniors
Ella Straber and
Alex Kibbe each scored two runs of their own on multiple hits. In total, the Principia lineup combined for 18 hits to tie a program record for most in a game.
In a surprising turn of events, the same Harris-Stowe pitcher who gave up those 18 hits in game one ended up pitching a perfect game in game two. The Panther offense dried up and could not find the same holes they did in the first game. Hornet pitcher Symone Abraham deserves a ton of credit for making the necessary adjustments as a perfect game is an incredible feat. Principia's game two starter,
Sophie Wegrzyn, also pitched well allowing only 2 runs (1 earned) in 7 innings and striking out 2 batters.
Principia's next doubleheader will be on March 10th at Knox College before the team heads to Myrtle Beach, SC for six games during spring break. The Panthers home opener will come on March 24th against Harris-Stowe.
