WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (April 2, 2011) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team defeated a ranked team for the first time in the short history of the program on Saturday, knocking off no. 13 Ithaca College 5-4 in the second game of both teams’ first Empire 8 action of the year. Molly Herforth picked up the win with eight strong innings of work, while she and Victoria Webber both went 3-for-4 in game two to lead the Ducks at the plate. The Bombers took the first game of the doubleheader by a count of 4-0.
Game 1
Stevens starter Kayla Berardi had to work hard in the top of the first, but retired Ithaca without yielding a run. In the Ducks’ turn at bat, Danielle DeFeo laid down a near-perfect basehit bunt and Naomi Sacks followed with a liner over shortstop to put runners at first and second with one out. Unfortunately, that was as far as Ithaca starter Allison Greaney (Iselin, N.J.) would let Stevens go for the rest of the game as she hurled a complete-game, four-hit shutout.
The Bombers scored three unearned runs in the second, as Ithaca strung together three hits and were aided by a Stevens error in the inning.
The game remained close, though a leadoff, wind-aided double to left field in the fourth inning led to another Ithaca run and made the score 4-0.
Other Stevens highlights included a hard-hit single up the middle for Noreen Jordan to lead off the fifth and, in the seventh, Victoria Webber did well to hold on to a hot-shot at the hot corner for the first out and Naomi Sacks maked a leaping grab of a liner at short for the second out of the frame.
Berardi surrendered just one unearned run in the first game to take the tough-luck loss.
Game 2
Things looked dicey at the start, as a Julianne Vincent (Stamford, Conn.) single coupled with a two-base error put the Bomber leadoff hitter on third with nobody out. However, Stevens got a huge play for the first out, as pitcher Molly Herforth and shortstop Naomi Sacks combined to nail Vincent, who had strayed too far off the third base bag on a comebacker. However, Greaney got a two-out, two-RBI single to right field to stake Ithaca to an early 2-0 lead.
Ithaca starter Britt Lillie (Mendon, N.Y.) hit the first two batters she faced in the bottom of the first, but settled down enough to prevent the Ducks from scoring in the frame.
Each team got a base hit in the second, but no more. Stevens put its first two runners on as Stephanie Senkevich was hit by a pitch and Herforth followed with a clean single up the middle, but nothing came of the threat.
A great individual effort by Stevens catcher Clair Strom prevented a run in the third, as she pounced on a one-out squeeze attempt and managed to dive back over the plate to tag out the Ithaca runner who had over-slid the dish. Ithaca did get another unearned run in the that frame, but it was a good job by Herforth to wiggle out of the bases-loaded, no-out jam with minimal damage.
Webber made a terrific defensive play to end the fourth, snaring a screaming liner at third base for the final out that was actually behind her by the time it landed in her mitt.
In the home half of the inning, the Ducks got three straight well-struck hits from Herforth, Webber and Lauren Hurley to load the bases with nobody out and chase Lillie from the circle. A Bomber error scored Herforth and kept the bases loaded with Ducks. Sacks then went the other way for a clutch 2-RBI single to tie the game up at three heading into the fifth.
After shutting down Ithaca in their turn at bat, Herforth smashed a double to the wall in left field with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Webber followed that by ripping a double of her own to the wall in center, driving in Herforth and giving Stevens a 4-3 lead.
Ithaca scratched out a single run in the next inning, scoring with two outs as the throw from Sacks just missed getting the batter at first after the ball ricocheted off of Herforth’s glove. Annmarie Forenza (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) came around from second to score on the play and tie the game up once more.
Herforth and Ithaca reliever Jillian Olmstead (Magnolia, Del.) continued to duel after that point, putting up zeros for the next four tense half-innings.
Webber led off the bottom of the eighth for Stevens with an infield single, and Hurley moved her to second with a textbook sacrifice. Sarah Parker hit the ball right on the screws with two on and one out but Forenza, the Ithaca shortstop, made a great diving play to momentarily save the game for the Bombers.
Then, with two outs and runners at first and second, Sacks hit a grounder to the second baseman. She fielded it cleanly, but her throw pulled the first baseman off the bag and Sacks was called safe. Freshman Danielle DeFeo alertly rounded third without breaking stride and headed for home. The throw from first beat her but the Ithaca catcher missed the tag as DeFeo slid passed the plate and quickly scampered back to touch the dish and score the winning run.
It was the first victory over a ranked opponent in program history, and the first home conference win ever for the Ducks as well….Ithaca College is the defending Empire 8 Champion and a 2010 NCAA Division III Women’s College World Series participant.