Two Wins for Alfred and Naz
NAZARETH
Nazareth's softball team claimed a pair of one-run victories Friday to extend their winning streak to five games and to complete their spring break tour of Florida with an overall record of 6-4. The Golden Flyers defeated St. Joseph's of Maine, 4-3, in the first game and then held off Swarthmore in the second game, 3-2.
Against St. Joe's Nazareth rallied to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to claim the victory. Against Swarthmore, the Golden Flyers got solid pitching from senior
Nicole Bayona, who improved her record to 3-1 by scattering six hits and striking out three.
Nazareth scored a run against St. Joe's in the bottom of the first after junior
Morgan Ross led off with a double and scored on a fielding error. After the Monks regained the lead at 2-1 with a run in the fifth, Nazareth scored three times in the bottom of the sixth.
Maureen Rogers and
Carly Pike lpened the frame with singles. Pinch-runner
Natalie Johns and Pike each came around to score after a single by
Sophia Rhoades and a fielding error. Freshman
Jenna Donald entered as a pinch runner for Rhoades and scored on a single by
Cydney Luke.
The Monks threatened to tie the game in the seventh as three hits and two errors enabled one run to score. With the tying and go-ahead runners on base, sophomore pitcher
Nicole White got the last two batters out on a pop up to the mound and a strikeout. Ross, Pike and Luke each recorded two hits,
In the second game, Nazareth carried a shutout into the seventh inning, when Swarthmore rallied to score two runs. The game ended after Swarthmore had a run-scoring hit and the runner on first was thrown out attempting to advance to third.
Nazareth scored once in the second inning after a lead-off single and a stolen base by Pike, who scored one out later on the single by Luke. Two more runs came across in the fourth inning on an RBI triple by
Sarah Papponetti and a single by Ross. Bayona was then one out away from pitching shutout when an error and three hits produced the Garnet's two runs.
The Golden Flyers hit well during their 10-game trip, posting a .306 team batting average with 20 extra-base hits. Rhoades and Luke batted .484 and .419 respectively. Ross batted .278 with two home runs and seven runs batted in and Pike batted .364 with a home and run and eight runs scored.
ALFRED
The Alfred University softball team earned a pair of wins during its spring break trip to Arizona over Loras College and Edgewood College on Friday afternoon.
Freshman Keri Keeler (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) picked up a win in the pitcher's circle during the Saxons' (8-2) win over the early matchup with Loras. AU won 12-5. She pitched 5.1 innings, giving up six hits for five runs (four earned) while retiring five batters before freshman
Shannon Schaefer (Neptune, NJ/Westfield) came in for the remaining 1.2 innings. Schaefer gave up no hits and struck out one player.
Senior Allison Wickwire (Towanda, PA/Towanda) pitched a no-hitter in Friday's nightcap against Edgewood. The only batters to reach base were off of walk and a hit-by-pitch in the 8-0, six-inning Saxon win. Wickwire sat down 10 batters during the contest.
In Friday's opening game, Wickwire went 3-for-4 from the plate with a home run, three RBI and two runs scored. She added a 2-for-3 performance against Edgewood with two doubles, another three RBI and scored a run.
Sophomore
Liz Thompson (Horseheads, NY/Horseheads) went 3-for-5 with two RBI, two scored runs and got a stolen base to help lead Wickwire in the Saxons' morning game with Loras. Junior
Nicole Maher (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy) added a double that earned her two RBI while junior
Samantha Jauregui (Lindsay, CA/Lindsay) had a sacrificed fly, sac bunt and two RBI. The other AU teammates to garner at least one RBI were junior
Dana Torchia (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Township), sophomore
Hannah Lawrence (Spencer, NY/Spencer-Van Etten) and senior
Alyson Hampton (Oxnard, CA/Oxnard).
Lawrence went yard in the Edgewood game to cap off a solid 2-for-3 performance that boasted a double and totaled three RBI. Maher connected on one pitch for a two RBI double while Torchia went 3-for-3, scoring twice and having the walk off RBI single.
ITHACA
The Ithaca College softball team dropped the final two games of its California spring road trip Friday night, falling to the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas 4-3 and 6-3. The Bombers' overall record moves to 2-6.
Game 1: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps – 4, Ithaca – 3
Junior
Laura Quicker was credited with the loss in game one. She allowed four earned runs on eight hits, while also registering four strikeouts.
Senior
Francesca Busa picked up two singles in a 2-for-4 showing at the plate. Junior
Erin McQuillanalso recorded multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with a run scored. Junior
Casey Gavin registered a double, marking the Bombers' lone extra-base hit of the game
Ithaca scored the first run of the contest on two hits in the top of the first frame. With runners at second and third, junior
Kelly Robichaud grounded a shot to shortstop. Although Robichaud was called out at first, she was still able to advance Busa home to give the Bombers a 1-0 lead.
The Athenas answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the first, tying the contest at 1-1 on two hits in the inning.
The Bombers were able to regain the lead in the second, crossing home once on one hit to go up, 2-1. With McQuillan on third and one out, senior
Nina Lindberg put down a perfect sacrifice bunt towards the first base side to bring home the Bombers' second run of the game.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps turned on the offense in the bottom of the fifth. The Athenas scored three runs on four hits in the frame, taking their first lead of the game at 4-2.
With one out in the seventh and a runner on third, freshman
Emily Bloom sent a pinch-hit single up the right side to advance the runner home and pull Ithaca back to within one. Despite the rally, the Bombers were unable to score again in the final frame, giving Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the 4-3 game one win.
Game 2: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps – 6, Ithaca – 3
Junior
Allison Macari started the second game of the doubleheader for the Bombers. She pitched all 6.0 innings, allowing nine hits and just one earned run. She also recorded a season-high seven strikeouts. Robichaud led the Bombers offensively, going 2-for-3 with a home run. Bloom went 2-for-3 with two singles and an RBI.
The Athenas opened the second game of the doubleheader with two quick runs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps scored twice on two hits in the first, jumping out to the 2-0 lead.
The Bombers answered with a run on two hits in the top of the third, cutting the Athenas' lead in half. The inning started with a pair of singles and a wild pitch, placing runners on second and third base. Gavin flied out to center field in the following at bat, bringing a runner home to earn the sacrifice fly.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps started to pull away from that point on, as the Athenas went on to score four-straight runs over the next three innings. Two runs in the fourth, followed by another pair of runs in the fifth pushed the Athenas' lead to 6-1.
Ithaca responded with two runs in the sixth, highlighted by Robichaud's solo home run in the beginning of the frame. An RBI single from Bloom capped the scoring for the Bombers, putting the score at 6-3 in favor of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Bombers were unable to score again in the contest, giving the Athenas the 6-3 win.