Stevens Completes Six Separate Comebacks to Sweep Home Opener
WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (March 24, 2012) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team opened the Weehawken Waterfront for the 2012 season in grand fashion, sweeping New Jersey City University 7-6 (in 10 innings) and 11-6 on Saturday afternoon. Clair Strom (El Paso, Texas) hit two homers, Noreen Jordan (Orangeburg, N.Y.) was 5-for-8 with a dinger and Jamie DeGennaro (Pearl River, N.Y.) drove in six runs over the two games to power the Stevens sweep.
Game One
New Jersey City scored two runs in the top of the first via a two-out homer from Marissa Bariso (Hewitt, N.J.). It was her team-leading third of the season.
Stevens loaded the bases in the home half of the first, as Danielle DeFeo (Andover, N.J.) walked and Jamie DeGennaro and Clair Strom had singles through the infield. With two down, Noreen Jordan launched a ball to the opposite field over the rightfielder’s head. Unluckily for the Ducks, the ball hopped over the wall for a ground-rule double and scored only two runs, instead of clearing the bases. The first inning ended with the sides tied at two apiece.
The Gothic Knights scored again in the third, pushing one run across with three singles in the inning. Stevens lefty Kayla Berardi (Brookfield, Conn.) earned backward K’s for all three NJCU outs in the inning and stranded three runners on base.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Strom unloaded on a pitch and deposited it over the fence and halfway to the Hudson River in leftfield. It was her team-leading second home run of the season and knotted the game back up at three-all.
NJCU answered in their turn at-bat, scoring a run on a one-out double and taking the team’s third lead of the game. The Ducks loaded the bases in their half, but did not score in the frame.
In the top of the fifth, DeFeo made a big play in the hole with two on and two out to prevent one and perhaps two runs, firing across the diamond to end the scoreless NJCU inning.
Stephanie Senkevich led off the Stevens fifth with a bouncing basehit up the middle, but the Ducks could not make anything of it. Berardi went on to retire the side 1-2-3 in the NJCU sixth.
In the last half of the sixth, Stevens loaded the bases with two outs via an error, a single from DeFeo and a four-pitch walk to DeGennaro. Strom hit the ball on a line but it was right at the shortstop. The Ducks trailed 4-3 heading into the seventh.
Berardi pitched around and error and a single in the seventh to keep the Ducks within one heading into their last licks.
Noreen Jordan provided a dramatic tying run with the Ducks down to their last two outs, sending a screaming linedrive over the wall in center for a solo homer. It was her first round-tripper of the season and sent the game to extras.
The eighth began with a runner placed on second, and NJCU put two more runners on with one out. Despite not getting a hit in the inning, the Knights scored two runs to take a 6-4 lead.
The Ducks put the tying run on second base with one out in the eighth after DeFeo singled and used some heady baserunning to advance to scoring position. DeGennaro knocked the first pitch she saw back through the box for two RBI’s and tied the game up for the fourth time.
Stevens did well to keep NJCU off the board in the ninth, as Senkevich and DeGennaro did not allow the runner to score on grounders hit their way. Berardi struck out the final hitter to give her team a chance to win.
The Ducks went quietly in the ninth, and Berardi pitched a 1-2-3 tenth to give Stevens another chance to win with one run.
Christine Minervini (Toms River, N.J.) was placed at second to start, and she moved to third on a groundout. With two out, DeFeo beat out a single to the left side that scored Minervini and ended the game. It was the first time all day the Ducks had the lead and touched off a big Duck celebration at the plate.
Berardi pitched all 10 innings to earn the victory, striking out 10 and giving up just six hits.
Game Two
In a near-replay of the first game, NJCU knocked a two-run homer to left-center for an early 2-0 advantage. This time the big fly came off the bat of Rebecca Statz (Morris Plains, N.J.). Kendel Aurand (McVeytown, Pa.) had a single in the first for the Ducks.
Stevens starter Brianna Sandone (Haddon Twp., N.J.) settled in and pitched a 1-2-3 second inning. In the bottom half, Jordan hit a carbon-copy of her ground-rule double from game one to rightfield, but the Ducks could not bring her around.
NJCU staged a two-out rally and scored three more runs in the third frame. Sandone left the bases loaded to keep the Ducks within striking distance, however.
Krista Sticco (Leonia, N.J.) and DeFeo led off the Stevens third with infield singles, and they moved to scoring position on a groundout. DeGennaro ripped a single to center that scored one and moved DeFeo the third. A Knight error allowed DeFeo to score and the Ducks climbed back in the game, trailing 5-2 after three full innings. Sandone pitched a perfect fourth for the Ducks.
Sarah Parker (Fredricksburg, Va.) began the fourth with a single and Sandone walked to bring the tying run to the plate. Parker alertly scored on a passed ball and Aurand’s single put the tying run on. DeGennaro went the other way for a clutch two-out two-RBI single that tied the game up at five-all.
NJCU scored an unearned run in the top of the sixth to break the deadlock and take a 6-5 lead.
Aurand led off the bottom of the sixth by slapping a single to the left side. She stole second and DeGennaro drove her home with a groundout to tie the game up. With the bases empty, Strom lifted a ball that hooked around the leftfield foul pole for her second homer of the day. This one gave Stevens the 7-6 advantage and its first in-game lead of the afternoon. The Ducks poured it on after that, as Senkevich walked, Jordan doubled, Parker reached on an error, Sandone homered to center – the first of her collegiate career – and DeFeo singled as Stevens took an 11-6 lead into the seventh.
Sandone gave up one hit but slammed the door on the Knights, earning the complete game win with five strikeouts.