Alfred and Houghton Sweep
HOUGHTON v Canton
The Houghton College softball team picked up their first two wins of the year against the SUNY Canton Kangaroos at Houghton College.
The Highlanders won game one of the doubleheader 6-5 and won the nightcap 7-4.
In game one Highlander pitcher
Morgan York (Canisteo, NY, Canisteo-Greenwood) and Canton pitcher Annie Sharlow kept the batters off balance for the first three innings.
In the bottom half of the fourth the Highlanders got on the board first scoring six runs.
Ashley Schenk (Victoria, BC, Canada, Pacific Christian School) got on base on a Kangaroo error. Then
Bailey Shattell (Syracuse, NY, Faith Heritage) and
Jessica Hayner (Waterford, NY, Shenendehowa) singled to load the bases for Strasswimmer who hit a RBI single.
Adrienne Huston (New Waterford, OH, Crestview High School) then hit a two RBI double that scored Hayner and Shattell. Later in the inning
Georgianna Stoj (Depew, NY, Sacred Heart Academy) walked to load the bases again and with two outs Schenk came in clutch with a two RBI single that scored Huston and
Sarah Beirne (Port Jervis, NY, Port Jervis) givng the Highlanders a 6-0 lead.
The Kangaroos came back in the sixth and scored two runs to make the score 6-2.
In the seventh York came went to the circle to finish the complete game, but two singles and a triple by Canton forced Coach Reece to bring in Hayner.
Hayner came in and struck out a Kangaroo batter to end the game and give the Highlanders their first win of the year.
In game two the Highlanders game out swinging. Beirne hit a leadoff single to start things off. After Stoj walked York hit a hard line drive that cleared the left field fence by 15 feet. The three run homerun is the first by a Houghton College softball player at the Kerr-Pegula Field Athletic Complex.
After a scoreless second each team added on a run in the third.
In the fourth Huston hit a double to left center and scored after a Kangaroo infielder had a throw get away from her. The error gave the Highlanders a 5-1 lead going into the fifth.
Canton scored two quick runs in the top half of the fifth inning, which forced Coach Reece to go back to Hayner for relief.
Hayner came in and pitched the last 2.2 innings only giving up two hits and striking out three Canton batters.
Beirne was credited with the win and Rowe was given the loss.
ALFRED v RIT
The host Alfred University softball team swept a non-league doubleheader from visiting RIT Thursday afternoon. The Saxons won the first game, 6-1, before completing the sweep with a 3-2 victory in the nightcap.
In the opener, Alfred (12-2) scored single runs in the first, second and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead. RIT (3-9) plated its lone run in the top of the sixth before AU closed out the scoring with three insurance runs in the bottom of the frame.
Sophomore third baseman
Liz Thompson went 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and two driven in to back the three-hit complete performance of senior pitcher
Alison Wickwire. Wickwire allowed an unearned run while striking out 11 to improve to 4-1 on the year.
Junior shortstop
Nicole Maher went 2-for-4 with two RBIs; junior outfielder
Samantha Jauregui was 2-for-4 with two runs scored; and senior outfielder
Samantha Jo Muller scored twice.
In the second game, AU took a 1-0 lead after one inning before the visiting Tigers knotted it up with a run in the top of the second. AU took a 3-1 lead on a two-run single by junior second baseman
Dana Torchia in the third and held RIT in check before until the Tigers plated their final run on a leadoff homerun in the seventh.
Freshman
Kerri Keeler got the complete-game pitching win for the Saxons, allowing two earned runs on six hits while striking out three.
Thompson was 2-for-3 with a double and two runs for the Saxons. Junior
Mackenzie Miller scored a run and Wickwire had an RBI.
NAZARETH v Brockport
Nazareth split a pair of non-conference softball games against Brockport on Thursday afternoon. The games were played at Mercy High School due to the field conditions at Brockport. The Golden Flyers fell 8-0 in the first game before rebounding for the 5-0 victory in the second game. Junior
Maureen Rogers ignited the attack in the second game with two hits and three RBIs while classmate
Danae Wetherbee blanked the Golden Eagles for her first win of the season.
In the second game, Nazareth crossed the plate four times in the first two innings.
The Golden Flyers extended their lead to 5-0 in the fifth inning after Carly Pike started the inning with a double to left field. It was her third double of the season. She advanced to third on a ground out by senior
Sophia Rhoades, and she scored on
Cydney Luke's ground out.
Brockport had a runner reach third base in the second, third, and seventh innings but were unable to score.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Golden Eagles loaded the bases with no outs. The Golden Flyers thwarted the rally with a force out at home for the first out. Nazareth ended the game with a double play after Sarah Papponetti caught a line drive then picked off Paige Monachino at first.
Wetherbee evened her record to 1-1 on the season with the win. She scattered five hits and allowed two walks while striking out one batter. The Golden Eagles' Jaime Berger took the loss and fell to 3-4 on the season. Berger allowed six hits and five runs although only two were earned. She also had six walks and six strikeouts.
In the first game, Brockport's Korey Kibling limited the Golden Flyers to just three hits. Nazareth's best chance to score came in the top of the third inning when Morgan Ross started the inning with a double. She advanced to third with a sacrifice bunt by Emily Graham. The Golden Eagles held Nazareth off the scoreboard by recording a fly out and a strikeout to close the inning.
Like the first inning, the Golden Flyers' first batter reached base to begin the second and third innings. Rhoades and Sarah Papponetti each reached base on a walk.
Freshman
Stephanie Mongelli and Rogers had the Golden Flyers other two hits, in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.
Nazareth senior
Nicole Bayona took the loss and stands at 3-2 on the season. In three innings, Bayona allowed nine hits and five earned runs with one strikeout. Sophomore
Nicole White relieved Bayona and allowed five hits and two runs with one strikeout in two innings.
STEVENS v William Paterson
The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team played a pair of thrilling extra-inning games Thursday against William Paterson University, taking the first one in 10 innings 5-4 before tying 1-1 in the second after seven.
Stevens 5, William Paterson 4
After a scoreless first, William Paterson got on the board in the second with an unearned run. A triple and a sacrifice fly extended the Ducks deficit to three before Stevens got on the board in the fifth.
With the bases loaded, junior
Gavriella Risman-Jones hit a grounder to third that was mishandled, allowing a run to score. Both teams traded zeroes in the sixth, but the Ducks broke through again with two in the seventh to tie the game.
With two outs and the bases empty, Risman-Jones singled to left before a throwing error put runners at second and third. Needing a hit, senior
Jamie DeGennaro connected on a single through the left side that scored both to tie things at three.
Senior
Kayla Berardi kept the game tied over the next two innings, allowing the Ducks to move ahead in the tenth off sophomore
Emily Sellitti's two-RBI double to center.
The Pioneers got one back in the bottom frame and threated for more, but freshman
Corinne Loncar threw out the tying run at the plate from short before Berardi induced a ground ball out to end the game.
Berardi went the distance, allowing just two earned runs to go along with seven strike outs while DeGennaro led the Ducks offensively with two RBIs.
Stevens 1, William Paterson 1
Both teams went scoreless in the first before the Pioneers got on the board with a run in the second. The Ducks rallied in the fourth with runners at first and second, but a line out to the pitcher ended the threat and maintained the William Paterson lead.
The fifth and sixth brought more scoreless frames before the Ducks broke through with the tying run in the seventh. With Risman-Jones on base after a single, freshman pitcher
Olivia Gemma helped her own cause with an RBI single to center.
The Pioneers loaded the bases with one out in the seventh, but Gemma navigated around the threat with a pick-off followed two batters later by a groundout to end the inning.
The Ducks exploded with six runs in the eighth, but after the Pioneers scored two in the bottom of the inning, the umpires called the game due to darkness. By rule, the eighth inning was wiped out, leaving the game to a 1-1 tie.
Risman-Jones led the Ducks with four hits while Gemma added the Ducks lone RBI to go along with a complete game, two strike out performance.
ST. JOHN FISHER
The St. John Fisher College softball team split a pair of contests on Thursday at nonconference opponent D'Youville College. The Cardinals are now 10-4 on the year.
D'Youville 5, Fisher 4
Fisher took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning and continued to chip away through the sixth inning when the Cardinals held a 4-2 lead.
The Spartans earned one run in the bottom of the inning to trail by just one run heading into the seventh.
On two hits and three Fisher errors, the Spartans scored three runs to clinch the win.
Fisher held a 8-3 advantage in hits with
Karlie Neale and
Emma Savas tallying two hits apiece.
Lindsey Thayer recorded the complete game effort, striking out 10 and walking eight in 6.2 innings of work. Thayer falls to 5-2 on the year.
Fisher 10, D'Youville 5
The Cardinals recorded five runs on five hits in the top of the fifth to help claim the win over the Spartans.
Savas got things going with a single then moved over to second base on a sacrifice bunt by
Kate Disbrow.
Meghan Burns doubled to bring in Savas. The senior outfielder later scored on a
Jennifer Knaak single.
Kristina Balsano singled and
Katie Mazierski walked to put runners on first and second. Neale brought in Mazierski, Balsano and Knaak on a triple to end the offensive run.
Neale finished 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the offense. Knaak added two RBI. Balsano, Mazierski and Savas tallied two hits apiece.
Halie Schoff earned the win from the circle, scattering six hits, five runs, four walks and three strikeouts in five innings.
Kayla DePara pitched two innings of relief and allowed four hits.