Stevens Falls in Doubleheader at Occidental College
Mark Becker
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 12, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team fell in a non-conference doubleheader at Occidental College on Tuesday afternoon. The Ducks hung close through the first game but a big sixth inning propelled the Tigers to the 9-1 win, which they followed with a 6-0 victory in the second game.
Occidental improves to 11-9, including a five-game win streak, with the pair of victories, while Stevens drops to 0-6 to start the season.
Occidental 9, Stevens 1
Junior shortstop
Danielle DeFeo (Andover, N.J.) led off the first game with a single and immediately stole second base. The middle of the Ducks order could not bring her home, however, and Occidental was unable to get more than a single runner to second as well over the first three innings.
Stevens did not get its next base runner until the fourth inning, when freshman
Gavriella Risman-Jones (New Boston, N.H.) singled and stole second to lead off the frame. She advanced to third with one out in the next at-bat, but again the Ducks could not get her to the plate. The Tigers also struggled to get runners on base, with only two over three innings, neither of whom advanced past second.
Another leadoff single put the Ducks in position to finally get on the scoreboard, but once again she was left on base and the game headed into the bottom of the fifth, where a bases-loaded single finally gave Occidental a 1-0 lead.
Stevens responded with another leadoff baserunner as sophomore pinch-hitter
Jamie DeGennaro (Pearl River, N.Y.) reached first on an error. Senior centerfielder
Lauren Hurley (Sparta, N.J.), who had given way to DeGennaro at the plate, re-entered the game as a pinch-runner and eventually scored on another error to tie the game at 1-1.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, the Tigers exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning as Stevens managed to record only one out while committing two errors.
DeFeo was 2-3 with one stolen base while sophomore
Brianna Sandone (Haddon Township, N.J.) took the loss in the circle, giving up seven earned runs over 5.1 innings pitched.
Junior shortstop Jerika Barron (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) and junior third baseman Meghan Luera (Pasadena, Calif.) each recorded two hits for the Tigers, with Barron scoring once and adding two RBI while Luera scored one run and stole a pair of bases. Senior Brittany Vacura (Elk Grove, Calif.) picked up the complete short-game victory after allowing just one unearned run on four hits while striking out seven hitters over six innings.
Occidental 6, Stevens 0
Risman-Jones drew a walk with one out in the first inning of Game Two and advanced to second on a groundout, but did not get home. The Tigers put three runners on base in the bottom of the frame but the Ducks got out of trouble without allowing a run.
Stevens was not as fortunate in the bottom of the second inning as Occidental plated five runs, all with two outs, to take a commanding lead. The Tigers nearly added another in the third inning when they had two base runners with only one out, but a heads-up double play by sophomore first baseman
Noelle Mulligan (Staten Island, N.Y.) ended the frame before any damage was done.
Mulligan followed up her key defensive play with a leadoff single in the top of the fourth, but a double play cleared the bases. Freshman second baseman
Sydney Spitz (Shelton, Conn.) reached first on an error to start the fifth inning and promptly stole second, then advanced to third with two outs but would also be stranded.
Occidental almost picked up another run in the bottom of the fifth, loading the bases with one out, but again Herforth got out of trouble thanks to a pair of groundouts. Stevens had yet another chance to get on the board in the sixth inning, getting runners on first and second, but with two outs they too were destined to be left on the basepaths.
The Tigers kicked off the bottom of the sixth with runners on first and second, one of which scored on a triple to put Occidental up 6-0. Herforth gave the Ducks one last chance to start a rally, smacking a double with only one out, but the final score would still read 6-0.
Junior designated player
Stephanie Senkevich (Washington, N.J.) led the Ducks with two hits in three at-bats, while Herforth took the loss in the circle, pitching the full six innings while striking out two.
Junior centerfielder Jacqueline Shimamoto (Santa Clarita, Calif.) led the Tigers at the plate, going 3-4 with a triple, one run and three RBI. Senior designated player Ashley Noone (Orange, Calif.) was a perfect 2-2 with a walk, one RBI and one stolen base while junior Amber Garland (Torrance, Calif.) gave up just six hits and one walk over the complete game, striking out one.
Head Coach Erica Mehalick and the Ducks will continue their West Coast road trip at Whittier College (8-4) tomorrow, Wednesday, March 12 at 1 and 3 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (4 and 6 p.m. Eastern). The games will be broadcast live online and via Live Stats, which is accessible through the softball schedule page.
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