Mercy Softball Sweeps NYIT, 8-0 and 12-2
Mercy softball swept their East Coast Conference doubleheader
against NYIT today, winning the first game 8-0 and the second game
12-2. The Mavericks are now 14-17 overall, including 8-10 in
the ECC, while the Bears are 5-28, 2-18 ECC.
Held to just one hit through the first three innings, the
Mavericks broke through for three runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Chelsea Methot (Bristol, Conn./Bristol
Central) reached on an outfield error and Jenna Ausiello (Petaluma, Calif./Casa
Grande) followed with a home run to center field to
put Mercy ahead 2-0. Paige Cauley (Stratford,
N.J./Sterling) reached on a walk and was bunted to
second by Steph
Owsiany (Edison, N.J./Edison). A single by Kim
Curry (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Central) put runners on
the corner for Natalie Wabshinak (New Fairfield, Conn./New
Fairfield), who drove in the third Mercy run with a
single to shallow right.
Methot would lead off the fifth inning with a home run to
center. With one out, Cauley singled to left before Owsiany walked.
The fourth ball got away from the NYIT catcher, allowing Cauley to
move to third. Cauley would score as Curry reached on a fielder's
choice. An NYIT error moved her to second and Owsiany to third
before Tayla Gardner (Orangeburg, N.Y./Tappan Zee) would provide
the inning's big hit, a double down the left field line to plate
two runs. A single by Krissy Lacik (Edison, N.J./Edison)
would put runners on the corner before Kelly Bentson (Brewster,
N.Y./Brewster) doubled to push across the eighth and
deciding run for the Mavericks.
All nine Mercy batters reached base, with eight recording at
least one hit. Six of the nine would score runs in the contest.
Gardner allowed just one hit and two walks in her five innings,
while striking out five. Natasha Milosevich took the loss, allowing
five earned runs, nine hits and four walks over 4.2 innings of
work.
In game two, the Bears jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of
the first. Martha Redondo reached on a Mercy error. With one out
and Redondo on second after a passed ball, Brigette Kirschmer
doubled to left to drive in the first NYIT run. Milosevich grounded
out to short, with Kirschmer coming all the way around to
score.
Mercy answered with two in their first turn at the plate. Lacik
doubled to left and scored after two wild pitches. Bentson walked
and moved to second on a passed ball. Ausiello doubled to left to
drive in the second Mavericks run.
In the bottom of the second, Mercy scored seven runs on seven
hits. With one out, Brittany Serrao (Parsippany,
N.J./Parsippany) doubled to left. Bunt singles by
Wabshinak and Lacik loaded the bases before Bentson doubled to
second to drive in two runs and put Mercy ahead 4-2. Methot
followed with a double of her own to plate two and Ausiello
followed with her second home run of the day. Cauley reached on an
error and moved to third on a double by Owsiany. Curry hit a
sacrifice fly to center to plate Cauley with the seventh run of the
inning.
The Mavericks cemented the sweep with a three run fourth.
Ausiello doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on a
wild pitch. Cauley walked to put runners on the corners before
Owsiany hit a sacrifice fly to right to plate Ausiello. Curry
tripled to right center to score Cauley and scored the final Mercy
run of the day on a wild pitch.
NYIT would load the bases in the fifth before Mary Sieber (Massapequa,
N.Y./Massqpequa) got out of the jam by inducing a foul
pop up to third to finish the game. Sieber allowed three hits, one
walk and one earned run in five innings to pick up the win. Jackie
Enlund allowed nine earned runs in 1.1 innings, taking the loss for
the Bears.
Mercy returns to action on Thursday, hosting Dowling in a
doubleheader.
