Nazareth Sweeps Stevens; Elmira/Fisher Split; Ithaca Sweeps Buffalo State
Nazareth 13, Stevens 4 - Game one
Nazareth 5, Stevens 4 - Game Two
Host Nazareth ran its modest softball winning streak to three games Sunday as the Golden Flyers swept Stevens in an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader by scores of 13-4 and 5-4.
The victories boosted Nazareth's overall record to 5-11 and 3-3 in conference play. Stevens slipped to 2-20 overall and 0-6 in E8 games.
Juniors
Liz Toner and
Sarah Cipperly were hitting stars in the first game as Nazareth banged out 16 hits overall. Toner went 3-for-3 with a grand slam and seven runs batted in and Cipperly went 4-for-4 with three runs scored and two runs batted in.
Toner was just a single shy of hitting for the cycle for the Golden Flyers, who erupted for seven runs in the second inning to a erase a 1-0 deficit. The big blow in the inning was Toner's grand slam, which came after Cipperly doubled,
Carly Pike singled and
Shauna Bardanis walked to load the bases. Nazareth had eight of their 16 hits in the inning, including a two-run double by Cipperly.
Nazareth added two more runs in the fourth inning as
Maureen Rogers and Cipperly opened the frame with singles and both runners scored on a double by Bardanis.
After Stevens scored three times in the top of the fifth inning to keep the game going, Nazareth ended it with four runs in the bottom half of the inning. Singles by
Kailey Ritch and Cipperly were sandwiched around a walk to Rogers that loaded the bases. Ritch scored on a sacrifice fly by Pike and three more runs came home on a double by Toner.
Pike was the winning pitcher after yielding four runs while striking out three.
In the second game, Nazareth rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to erase a 4-2 deficit. Freshmen
Morgan Ross and
Maureen Rogers each singled to lead off the rally and advanced one base on a wild pitch. Cipperly singled to score one run, then Pike smashed a double off the left-field fence to chase home the tying and go-ahead runs.
Stevens took an early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning, but Nazareth answered with two runs of its own in the bottom half. Ritch led off with a single and scored ahead of Ross' two-run homer. Ross, Pike and Cipperly each had two hits in the game. Cipperly raised her team-best batting average to .453 with Pike close behind at .388.
Freshman
Danae Wetherbee was the winning pitcher as she scattered seven hits over seven innings and struck out three.
Elmira 6, St. John Fisher 3 - Game One
After getting on board in the top of the first to take the early lead of game one, the EC offense came to life scoring five straight runs to take a 6-0 lead. The Cardinals were able to finally come through with some hits and runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, but it would not enough as Alex Puglisi held off the late surge to secure her eighth victory. Alex Andrade and Ashley Palmer were very impressive for the Soaring Eagles. Andrade
went 3-for-3 from the plate scoring three runs in the game, while
Palmer went 3-for-4 from the plate recording one run and two RBIs.
St. John Fisher 1, Elmira 0 - Game Two
Jessie Smyrski picked the right time to hit her first career homer – a solo shot over the fence in right-center for the game's only run. Sarah Stefanon earned the win on the mound. The senior allowed just three hits and struck out six to raise her record to 6-3 on the year and drop her ERA to 0.65. Leanne Merchant singled in the game to extend her hitting streak to 14 games, while Kayla Goodberlet did as well, pushing her streak to 12 games. Sarah Fordyce led all Fisher hitters with two on in the game.
Ithaca 5, Buffalo State 3 - Game One
Ithaca 9, Buffalo State 3 - Game Two
The Ithaca College softball team used a pair of come-from-behind efforts and swept a doubleheader against Buffalo State on Sunday afternoon at Kostrinsky Field. The Bombers (12-6) won the first game 5-3 and the second game 9-8. The Bombers return to action Tuesday at Cortland at 3 p.m.
The Bombers overcame an early 2-0 deficit with two runs in the second inning and two more in the third to take the lead. Outfielders
Casey Gavin (Wallingford, Conn./Sheehan) and
Adrienne Walters(Solon, Ohio/Solon) were each 2-for-2 in the game and six other Ithaca players had one hit each. All 18 hits between both teams were singles.
Francesca Busa (St. James/Smithtown East) had a two-out RBI single in the second to tie the game and Ithaca picked up two more runs in the third on a fielding error by the Bengals.
Sam Bender (Levittown, Pa./Neshaminy) pitched a complete-game victory and allowed eight hits and three runs, two of which were earned. She had one strikeout in picking up her seventh win of the season.
Ithaca fell behind 5-1 after three innings but scored six times in the fourth. The rally started with four straight hits including a three-run double by
Kelly Robichaud (Vernon, Conn./East Catholic).Sydney Folk (Long Beach/Long Beach) had a solo homer for the Bombers in the bottom of the first.
The Bombers tacked on single runs in the fifth and sixth and they proved to be crucial, as the Bengals scored three times in the top of the seventh and had two runners on when
Adrienne Walters (Solon, Ohio/Solon) made a running catch in left-center to end the game.
Allison Macari (Stamford, Conn./Westhill) pitched seven innings to earn the win. She had six strikeouts.