Doubleheader Sweeps for Naz and Stevens
NAZARETH
Sophomore
Emily Graham stroked a two-run triple in the bottom of the fifth inning to snap a scoreless tie Tuesday and lift Nazareth to a 3-0 softball victory over visiting Oswego in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader. Graham and junior
Carly Pike each had three hits in the second game as the Golden Flyers swept the Lakers with a 10-1 victory.
The games were the last two of the season for the Golden Flyers, who finished 15-19 overall. Oswego finished 5-21 overall.
Graham's triple helped make a winning pitcher of senior
Nicole Bayona, who tossed her first complete game shutout in her final career start. Bayona gave up just three hits, walked three and struck out four.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Sarah Papponetti reached on a fielding error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Meghan Barry.
Morgan Ross followed with a single through the left side, the both runners scored when Graham laced a triple in the right-center field gap. Nazareth added a third run in the sixth inning after
Stephanie Mongelli ripped a one-out double to right field. She advanced to third on an infield grounder by
Cydney Luke and scored on an error.
Bayona, meanwhile, pitched out of trouble in the top of the sixth inning after the first two runners reached base. Bayona retired the next three batters on two fly balls and a strikeout to preserve the shutout.
In the second game, Graham reached base in all four of her plate appearance with three hits and a walk. She had a one-out walk in the third and scored Nazareth's first run on a single by Pike.
Three more runs came home in the fourth. Mongelli reached on an infield single and advanced to third on two infield grounders and scored on an error. Barry followed with a single and advanced to third on a double by Ross. Graham then ripped a double down the left field line to chase both runners home.
After Oswego scored a run in the top of the fifth, Nazareth ended the game with six runs on seven hits in the bottom of the inning. Mongelli, who finished with Nazareth's highest batting average at .355, had an RBI single and Ross singled home two more runs. Graham had a run-scoring single for her fifth RBI on the day and Pike finished off the Lakers with a two-run single to end the game.
Sophomore
Nicole White gained the pitching victory as she tossed five innings of three-hit ball and struck out five. The games were the last career appearances for Bayona and senior catcher
Sophia Rhoades, who stroked a single in her final at bat.
STEVENS
Stevens Institute of Technology softball junior
Sydney Spitz went 5-for-7with two home runs and three RBIs Tuesday to lead the Ducks to a 7-1 and 4-0 win over Fairleigh Dickinson University-College at Florham.
The sweep ends Stevens' regular season at 26-7-1 while FDU fell to 10-22.
Stevens 7, FDU 1
Both teams traded zeroes through the first two innings before the Ducks broke through in the third with back-to-back home runs from junior
Sydney Spitz and senior
Jamie DeGennaro. Sophomore
Jessica Rees continued the rally with a double, then scored off a single from freshman
Lauren Shirley.
The Devils got one back in the fourth, but a two-run blast from Spitz in the fifth put the Ducks ahead 5-1. Senior pitcher
Kayla Berardi made the lead stand, working around a leadoff walk in the sixth allowing DeGennaro to tack-on two more with a single in the bottom of the inning.
The runs were more than enough for Berardi who retired the side in order in the seventh to secure the complete game win.
Spitz's three RBIs were a season-high while Berardi struck out seven for him team-leading 13
th win of the season.
Stevens 4, FDU 0
After a scoreless first, the Ducks got on the board with two in the second. With freshman
Olivia Gemma on second and freshman
Corinne Loncar on first, senior
Noelle Mulligan ripped a double to right-center to score both.
Gemma held the lead with a scoreless third, fourth and fifth before the Ducks added to their lead in the bottom of the fifth off an error and an RBI single from DeGennaro.
The 4-0 lead proved to be plenty for Gemma as the Stevens rookie worked around a pair of base runners in the sixth and seventh to close out the win.
Mulligan led the Ducks offensively with two RBIs while Spitz doubled and scored a run.
HOUGHTON
The Houghton College softball team wrapped up their season against the RIT Tigers Tuesday afternoon in Rochester, NY. The Highlanders lost game one by the score of the 4-1 and game two by the score of 9-0.
In game one the Highlanders were led by
Carolin Strasswimmer (Greenwich, NY, Greenwich/Adirondack CC),
Georgianna Stoj (Depew, NY, Sacred Heart Academy), and
Sarah Beirne (Port Jervis, NY, Port Jervis). Strasswimmer went one for one with the only RBI of the game. Stoj and Beirne each went two for three. The loss was credited to Beirne and Lauren Mahar earned the win for the Tigers.
In game two
Jessica Hayner (Waterford, NY, Shenendehowa) was given the loss and Sierra Valentine earned the win for RIT, striking out seven batters.
The losses make the Highlanders 5-30 on the year and make RIT 13-21.
In game one RIT struck first scoring two runs on two hits in the bottom of the third.
After a scoreless fourth the Highlanders got on the board in the fifth when Strasswimmer hit a single down the left field line that scored Hayner from third, but with only one out the Highlanders failed to score any more runs.
The Highlanders had runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and failed to score again.
The Tigers added on two runs in the bottom of the sixth and sat the Highlanders down in order in the seventh.
In game two the Tigers scored four runs in the third and five in the fourth ending the game after five innings of play.
ELMIRA
The Elmira College softball team closed out their 2015 campaign with a pair of losses to non-conference opponent St. Lawrence University. The Saints took the first game, 9-2, then edged EC, 3-1, in the second game.
Ashley Palmer '16, in her final games in the Purple and Gold, went 3-for-6 at the plate with one double and three RBI. Also suiting up for the last time at Elmira was
Chelsie Roberts '17, who started the second game at first base. Roberts was 1-for-2 and scored the only Elmira run in game two.
Game One: St. Lawrence 9, Elmira 2
The Soaring Eagles did not get their first hit of the game until the top of the fourth inning, while the Saints in that time had pushed across six runs to take a 6-0 lead. The fourth inning was led off by a
Jacquelyn Heggie single and then her sister, Julianne, followed with a bunt single, giving EC two runners on base and no outs. The Heggie twins advanced into scoring position on a passed ball and then scored on Palmer's two-run single to right field. Palmer advanced to second base on a wild pitch, giving Elmira another opportunity to cut into the deficit with no outs still, but the Saints' Plimpton would strikeout each of the next three batters to end the threat.
St. Lawrence answered right back in the bottom half of the inning to plate another three runs, turning a 6-2 game into a 9-2 game. The Saints got a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth, but
Marisa Bernardi'18 worked her way around the St. Lawrence batters to keep it 9-2 and give her team one final at-bat. Unfortunately, despite a
Kennedy Harper '18 single in the top of the seventh, the Soaring Eagles were unable to erase the seven-run deficit as EC fell in game one, 9-2.
Game Two: St. Lawrence 3, Elmira 1
In contrast to the first game, St. Lawrence was having a difficult time figuring out
Emily Carlin'17 on the mound. In the meantime, her Soaring Eagle teammates were working to manufacture the game's first run in the top of the third inning.
Chelsie Roberts singled to second base and then advanced to second on a Harper sacrifice bunt. EC put runners on the corner after a
Jacquelyn Heggie single and then Roberts came around to score on a single by Palmer.
EC's 1-0 lead did not last long as the Saints tied the game with an unearned run in the bottom half of the inning. The Purple and Gold had an opportunity to go back on top with
Katie Day'15 on third base, but Roberts could not bring her home as the score remained 1-1. Both pitchers continued to throw clean innings, but St. Lawrence would capitalize on an Elmira error to plate two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 3-1 lead.
Kelsey Condidorio'18 led off the top of the seventh inning with a single and was pinch run for by
Carolyn Zesut'18, but after a Harper strikeout,
Jacquelyn Heggie would line into the game-ending double-play, as the Saints came out on top 3-1.