Late Rallies Help Elmira Sweep RPI; Ithaca Drops Two to Cornell
ELMIRA v RPI
The EC Softball team rallied late in both games to sweep Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 3-1 and 5-4, on Thursday afternoon at Eldridge Park Stadium. The Soaring Eagles improve to 21-9, while the Engineers fall to 23-12 on the season.
In game one EC was able to come through for three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to gain a 3-0 lead. RPI looked to start their comeback in the top of the seventh with RPI’s Jena Servidone hitting an RBI single, but
Alex Puglisi ’14 stayed strong and focused to hold off the surge.
Puglisi allowed one earned run, six hits and one walk while striking out five over seven innings of work. Caitlin McGivern and Dani Grage each earned two hits in game one, while Kristina Weltzin pitched six innings allowing three earned runs and nine hits with six strikeouts. Earning RBI singles for the Soaring Eagles in the game were
Puglisi, Alex Andrade ’13 and
Megan Anderson ’15.
After RPI got out to an early lead in game two, EC rallied back in the second and third innings to take a 5-2 lead. RPI scored two more runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Gillian McCarthy and an RBI single by McGivern, yet they could not draw even by the end.
Mikayla Bean ’14 was solid at the plate for EC going 2-for-3, driving in one and scoring one run.
Katie Hobson ’13 recorded the win for Elmira allowing three earned runs over five innings, striking out two and giving up seven hits.
Puglisi earned the save in game two pitching the two innings allowing one walk and two hits. Weltzin once again started for the Engineers going 2
1/3 innings allowing six hits and five earned runs, while Victoria Hepworth finished the last 3
2/3 innings allowing three hits.
The Soaring Eagles will return to action this Saturday when they host Houghton College in their final home stand. Game one starts at 1:00 p.m. and game two starts at 3:00 p.m.
ITHACA v CORNELL
The Ithaca College softball team dropped a pair of games at Division I Cornell University on Thursday afternoon at Cornell's Niemand*Robison Field. The host Big Red won the first game 4-0 and the second game 9-2. The Bombers return to action this weekend at RPI on Saturday and against Plattsburgh and Union at Union on Sunday.
Cornell 4, Ithaca 0
The Big Red scored a run in the third inning and added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth. Ithaca had eight hits in the game, including two singles by
Francesca Busa (St. James/Smithtown East).
Kelly Robichaud (Vernon, Conn./East Catholic) doubled, and five other players had one hit each.
Sam Bender (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) started and took the loss, working four innings.
Laura Quicker (West Islip, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) pitched two innings and had one strikeout.
Cornell 9, Ithaca 2
Ithaca scored a run in the top of the first on an RBI single by
Sydney Folk (Long Beach/Long Beach) that drove in
Francesca Busa (St. James/Smithtown East). Cornell answered with four runs in the bottom of the first to take a lead it would never relinquish. The Bombers added another run in the third inning on a double by Folk to once again score Busa. Folk, Busa and
Carianne D'Alessandro (Bound Brook, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) had two hits each.
Allison Macari (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) started and took the loss, and
Laura Quicker (West Islip, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) and
Sam Bender (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) each pitched in relief. The Ithaca defense turned two double plays in the game.