Pitching Propels Stevens to Critical Sweep of Nazareth
WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (April 27, 2012) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team used a pair of pitching gems turned in by underclassmen starters Kayla Berardi (Brookfield, Conn.) and Brianna Sandone (Haddon Twp., N.J.) to take two Empire 8 games from Nazareth College on Friday morning. Both scores were 2-1.
Game One
With two outs in the first, Jamie DeGennaro (Pearl River, N.Y.) parked a 3-2 pitch over the wall in rightfield for an early 1-0 Stevens lead. The freshman drove the ball hard on a line the other way after an impressive eight-pitch at-bat.
Berardi held Nazareth hitless and scoreless over the first three innings, losing the no-hit bid on an infield single in the fourth.
Stevens catcher Clair Strom (El Paso, Texas) put a charge into one in the fourth inning, but a stiff breeze off the Hudson River knocked it down enough so that the Golden Flyer centerfielder was able to make the running catch on the warning track.
The Ducks got an insurance run in the sixth inning. Danielle DeFeo (Andover, N.J.) started it with a bunt single and Berardi walked to put the first Stevens player in scoring position all day. Both runners then moved up on a passed ball. DeGennaro hit a grounder to short, and DeFeo goaded the Naz shortstop into making a throwing error in her bid to cut the runner down at the plate.
It would prove to be an important tally as Nazareth scored one run in the seventh inning on a two-out RBI single that landed on the foul line in right field. Then, with the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on first, freshman Christine Minervini (Toms River, N.J.) made a great diving catch in nearly the same spot where the previous single had just landed to end the game and rob Nazareth of the tying run.
Both pitchers had impressive starts; Berardi struck out six and gave up just three hits over the course of her complete game victory. Kelly Kocher (Victor, N.Y.) also gave up three hits, though there was one big one to DeGennaro. She struck out 11 and at one point retired 13 Ducks in a row.
Game Two
The Ducks again jumped out to an early lead; Sarah Parker (Fredricksburg, Va.) began things with a one-out walk in the first, followed by three consecutive singles by DeGennaro, Strom and Stephanie Stenkevich (Washington, N.J.). Senkevich’s basehit to left drove in two runners and gave Stevens a 2-0 lead after one.
Stevens threatened again in the second, getting a pair of baserunners on a DeFeo single and Parker walk, but nothing came of that two-out rally.
Parker made a remarkable catch to start the fourth inning and help Sandone keep her shutout going. Over the first four innings the freshman gave up just three hits and struck out two.
The Golden Flyers threatened in the fifth, putting the first two runners on to start the frame. Sandone shut the door using an important one-out K and a lineout to Krista Sticco (Leonia, N.J.) to end the inning.
Nazareth did score one in the sixth, but the Ducks stranded the tying run 60 feet away to maintain a 2-1 lead with just one at-bat left for the visitors.
A two-out Stevens error was the only hiccup of the seventh inning, as Sandone pitched brilliantly to earn her eighth win of the year. She scattered six hits and struck out three.
The day also featured a once-in-a-lifetime flyby of the space shuttle Enterprise. The spacecraft and its 747 locomotive made a ceremonial loop around Manhattan and at one point soared directly over the field. Play halted as all onlookers paused to witness the amazing sight.