Jordan Powers Stevens to Sweep
FORT MEYERS, Fla. (March 13, 2012) – Sophomore Noreen Jordan (Orangeburg, N.Y.) of the Stevens Institute of Technology softball team picked up the 5-4 win in her first collegiate pitching appearance against Mount Mary College in the team’s first game on Tuesday. After switching back to rightfield, she went on to drive in the only run of the Ducks’ 1-0 win against Curry College later in the afternoon. Fellow sophomore Kayla Berardi (Brookfield, Conn.) twirled the shutout against the Colonels, allowing just two hits in the game. The two Stevens hurlers combined to shutout the Ducks’ opponents over the final 13 innings of the day.
Game One
Mount Mary College scored four runs in the first inning, putting Stevens in an early hole. The Ducks loaded the bases themselves in their half of the first but left the bags loaded as the inning ended.
In the second, Stevens answered back. Abigail Gobeille (Little Falls, N.J.) led things off with a walk, and after a steal of second Krista Sticco’s (Leonia, N.J.) infield single brought her home. A trio of singles by Danielle DeFeo (Andover, N.J.), Jamie DeGennaro (Pearl River, N.Y.) and Clair Strom (El Paso, Texas) brought in two more runs as the Ducks climbed back into the game and trailed by just one after two full innings.
Jordan settled in and shut down Mount Mary after the first, pitching six scoreless innings from the second through the final inning. Jordan was the story of the game, displaying impressive mental toughness to stifle the Blue Angles after giving up four runs in her first college inning.
In the bottom of the fourth for Stevens, DeFeo led off with a bunt single and Strom came through with a two-out RBI base knock that tied the game at four-apiece after four full innings.
In the fifth, Jordan personally stopped a Mount Mary rally in its tracks, snaring a scorching linedrive in the circle and doubling off the runner at second with no outs. Another good play down the line by DeGennaro at third base ended the Blue Angel’s fifth.
Stevens showed off more defensive skills in the sixth, cutting down the go-ahead run 4-1-3-2 at the plate to preserve the tie and end the inning.
In the home half of the frame, the first two hitters went quietly before Sarah Parker (Fredricksburg, Va.) hit a single into right. It was misplayed and went all the way to the wall, allowing Parker to scamper to third. Freshman Jamie DeGennaro followed and came through with a clutch two-out double to right that scored Parker and put the Ducks ahead for the first time in the contest.
In the seventh, Danielle DeFeo ended the game by stepping in front of a hard-hit liner and alertly throwing to first to double off the Mount Mary runner. The double play capped a five-run Stevens comeback and gave the team their second win of the young season.
Game Two
Both Berardi and Curry starter Taylor Ahearn (Salem, Mass.) pitched well over the first six innings as Stevens took on Curry College in Tuesday’s second game. Both teams were shutout over that span and the Ducks were held hitless until DeFeo led off the fourth inning with an infield single. Stevens turned two double plays behind Berardi over the first three innings to keep the Colonels off the scoreboard.
Neither team mustered much offence in the game as pitching was certainly at the center of the battle. The teams combined to leave just nine runners on base between them. Berardi finished the game with 10 strikeouts and just two hits allowed.
Curry had perhaps their best chance of scoring in the sixth inning, where with two outs they had a runner on second base. A ground ball was hit to third, and the throw over to first was in the dirt. If the ball got behind Senkevich, it would have allowed a run to score. But the sophomore came up with the scoop for the out and sent the game to the seventh inning still scoreless.
In the top of the seventh, Parker stroked a one-out single to left field. Jordan followed that with a long double to the wall in left. Parker was able to score all the way from first and just beat the relay home. Jordan moved up to third on the throw. Christine Minervini (Toms River, N.J.) lofted a ball to right that almost allowed Jordan to score, but she was thrown out at home to end the inning and send the game to the last half of the seventh.
Berardi struck out the first batter before the next Curry hitter reached on an error. Berardi took matters into her own hands after that, striking out the next two batters to seal the win for the Ducks.
Sarah Parker started both game-winning rallies and scored the winning run in both of Tuesday’s contests.
Of Stevens’ six games so far this season, four have been one-run contests and a fifth went to extra innings. The lone outlier was a 15-4 mercy-rule win over Massachussetts College of Liberal Arts.