Softball Teams Wrap Up Spring Break Competition
STEVENS
The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team wrapped up their spring break trip on Friday with a split that included a 4-2 loss to the University of Wisconsin-Superior (5-4), and a 5-0 win over Rockford University (2-8).
Wisconsin-Superior 4, Stevens 2
Pitchers had the upper-hand early, as senior Kayla Berardi struck-out seven of the first 10 batters she faced, including striking-out the side in the third. Senior Nicolle Gross matched her though, retiring every batter she faced through the first two innings.
The Ducks put together a rally in the third when senior Stephanie Senkevich and Danielle DeFeo singled, but Gross forced a groundball out off the bat of sophomore Gavriella Risman-Jones to preserve the shut-out.
After Berardi retired the side in the third, Wisconsin-Superior finally broke through in the fourth. Britnee Blake led-off the inning with a single, followed by Kristen Haider reaching second on a couple of errors. With two runners in scoring position, Elle Niemela singled to score both, before Sasha Fjeran added to the lead with an RBI groundout to short. The Yellow Jackets added one more in the inning to build a 4-0 lead.
Stevens went down quietly in the fifth before rallying in the sixth. DeFeo reached first on an error to lead-off followed by an infield single from Risman-Jones. A throwing error put runners on second and third where Gross retired the next two, but fell victim to freshman Jessica Rees' hard-hit two-out single to right to score both runners and cut the deficit to 4-2.
Berardi navigated through the sixth without any trouble, but the Ducks went down in order in the seventh to lose the game. Berardi pitched well again striking out nine, and Rees finished with Stevens' only two RBIs.
Stevens 5, Rockford 0
The Ducks struck first in the second inning when freshman Kelly Klewicki and Rees singled with no outs, and got into scoring position off a wild pitch. Senior Noelle Mulligan then hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Klewickik and giving Stevens a lead it wouldn't relinquish.
Junior Jamie DeGennaro took over the offense from there, crushing a double to center in the third to score Risman-Jones and DeFeo. Then in the seventh, after Risman-Jones led-off with a single, DeGennaro ripped a triple and then scored on a wild pitch to cap the Ducks scoring for the game at five.
The runs were more than enough for junior Brianna Sandone who continued her prowess of stranding opposing runners. Rockford put runners in scoring position in the third and fifth, but Sandone escaped the jams without surrendering any runs. Rockford mounted their best rally in the seventh after Jessica Bjerming and Lynn Blakeley-Snyder reached first and second, but Sandone induced a groundball back to herself that ended the game.
Sandone picked up her team-leading fourth win of the year, while DeGennaro supplied most of the offense with three RBIs off two extra-base hits. Risman-Jones set the table at the top of the lineup, scoring twice with two hits.
ITHACA
The Ithaca College softball team (8-2) dropped its final two decisions of the Dot Richardson Spring Games on Friday, falling to Wittenberg and Millikin.
Despite the losses, the Bombers' 8-0 start matched a program record for longest win streak to start a season. Ithaca's last 8-0 start came in 1992, when the Bombers defeated Marietta (twice), Mount Union, Fairleigh-Dickinson, Maryville, Findlay, Mary Washington and St. Norbert to begin the year. Ithaca finished with a record of 20-11 that season and placed fourth at the NCAA Northeast Regional.
Ithaca dropped its first contest of the season in the early morning game, falling to Wittenberg by a score of 7-2. Senior
Sam Bender was credited with the loss after giving up three earned runs and striking out three in 4.0 innings of play. Sophomore
Laura Quicker also saw action, allowing five hits and recording one strikeout in the final two frames.
Sophomore
Casey Gavin led the Bombers with two hits in the loss, going 2-for-3 with a double. Senior
Sydney Folk went 1-for-3, recording a triple and two RBI.
Wittenberg struck first, putting up two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning. The Tigers added another run in the second, giving Wittenberg the 3-0 lead.
The Bombers got on the board in the top of the fifth frame, cutting the Tigers' lead to 3-2. With two runners on and two outs, Folk sent a shot to the outfield for the triple. Freshman
Jessie Fleck and junior
Francesca Busa scored of the play, putting Ithaca right back in the game.
Despite the rally, Wittenberg answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning, giving the Tigers a commanding 7-2 lead. The Bombers weren't able to score again, giving Wittenberg the victory.
Ithaca dropped the second game of the day by a score of 7-3 to Millikin. Sophomore
Allison Macari was credited with the loss after allowing five earned runs and striking out four batters in 4.0 innings of play. Quicker relieved Macari for the final 3.0 innings where she allowed just one earned run.
Busa and junior
Monica Capolongo both paced the Bombers with two hits, going 2-for-4 and 2-for-3, respectively. Folk and fellow senior
Julianne Vincent both recorded solo home runs in the contest, accounting for two of Ithaca's runs.
NAZARETH
Nazareth closed out its spring softball trip Friday with a pair of tough one-run defeats in non-conference action. In the first game, Pitt-Bradford scored the only run of the game in the eighth inning for a 1-0 victory over the Golden Flyers. Then in the second game, Nichols rallied for single runs in the sixth and seventh innings for a 3-2 victory.
The first game was a pitcher's dual between Nazareth's
Nicole White and Pitt-Bradford's Sydney Mosby. White allowed only one unearned run on two hits while striking out four. Mosby gained the win by yielding just three hits and striking out four.
Pitt-Bradford's Brianna Stenta scored the only run in the top of the eighth inning as she scored from third on a bunt by pinch hitter Meagan Hillard. White was placed on second for Nazareth in the bottom of the inning, but was left stranded at third. Senior
Kailey Ritch had a double as one of Nazareth's three hits.
Maureen Rogers and
Sophia Rhoades each had singles.
In the second game, Nichols scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning off Nazareth starter
Danae Wetherbee, who finished with four strikeouts. Nazareth had just four hits, including a run-scoring double for Rogers as part of a two-run sixth inning that gave Nazareth a temporary lead.
ALFRED
The Alfred University softball split two games Friday on the fifth day of the Saxons' Spring Break trip to Tuscon, AZ. AU defeated Wisconsin Lutheran, 9-1 in five innings, then lost, 13-12, to Concordia University.
In the opener against Wisconsin Lutheran, AU broke open a 3-1 game with four runs in the fourth, then added two in the top of the fifth. The Saxons held Wisconsin scoreless in the bottom of the fifth as the eight-run rule ended the game. Sophomore pitcher
Katelyn Jakobsen (Elmwood Park, IL/Elmwood Park) got the complete-game win, allowing an earned run on four hits while striking out three.
Senior outfielder
Samijo Scheer (Corning, NY/Corning East) went 2-for-4 with a double, scored two runs and drove in a pair to lead the Saxons (7-3). Sophomore second baseman
Dana Torchia (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Twp.) hit a triple, drove in two runs and scored twice.
Sophomore outfielder
Samantha Jauregui (Lindsay, CA/Lindsay) went 3-for-4 with two RBI; sophomore catcher
Jasmine Picini (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac)went 2-for-2 with an RBI; and senior outfielder
Rachel Guszick (Sparrowbush, NY/Port Jervis) (triple) and junior
Alyson Hampton (Oxnard, CA/Oxnard) each scored a run.
In the loss to Concordia, Scheer, Torchia and senior
Stephanie Arguello (Placentia, CA/Vista del Lago) each went 4-for-5 to pace the Saxons' bats. Scheer had a homerun and three RBIs; Torchia belted a double, scored three runs and drove in four; and Arguello hit a double and scored four times.
Hampton scored two runs; sophomore shortstop
Nicole Maher (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy) had a hit and a walk, scored a run and had two RBIs; freshman
Taylor Sparks (Corning, NY/Corning East) hit a single and drove in two runs; and senior outfielder
Danielle Mastropierro (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) scored a run.
Junior
Samantha Jo Muller (Port Jervis, NY/Port Jervis) got the pitching start for the Saxons and went three innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. Junior
Tori Kramp (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury) went 2/3 of an inning and allowed three runs on five hits. Junior Alyson Wickwire (Towanda, PA/Towanda) took the loss, allowing six runs on four hits and three walks.