Johnson Blasts Third Home Run in Two Days as Softball Hosts Merrimack
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Mar. 28, 2014) – Junior Megan Johnson (Gilbert, Ariz. / Phoenix College) belted her third home run in two days as the Mercy College softball team hosted Merrimack College in the Mavericks' home opener on Friday afternoon.
Merrimack won both games to improve to 7-11 while Mercy is now 3-15.
Mercy 8, Merrimack 11
The Warriors got on the board first in Game One, scoring on an error and two-run homer to take a quick 3-0 lead. The Mavericks got one back in the bottom of the frame as junior Michelle Duford (Maple Ridge, B.C., Canada / Seward County CC) beat out an infield single with the bases loaded.
Merrimack regained the three-run lead in the top of the second inning as the leadoff batter smashed a home run to straightaway centerfield, but again Mercy put up a run on a two-out double by senior Ashley Johnstone (Bellmore, N.Y. / John F. Kennedy) to make it a 4-2 game.
The Warriors pushed three more runs across in the top of the third inning, however, and held the 7-2 lead until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Mavericks capitalized on a two-out error to load the bases for senior Kelly Bentson (Brewster, N.Y. / Brewster) to smash a single up the middle and plate one.
Merrimack responded in the top of the fifth with three more runs to extend the lead to seven at 10-3, but Mercy's bats also came alive in the bottom of the frame. Freshman Julie Gross (Port Monmouth, N.J. / Middletown North) led off with a double and advanced to third on a single by junior Natalie Valdez (Santa Ana, Calif. / Missouri Valley College). Wabshinak then doubled Gross home and Valdez came around to score on an infield single by Johnstone to cut the deficit to five. Wabshinak later came home on a wild pitch with two outs and Bentson brought Johnstone home to make it a 10-7 game before the inning ended.
The Warriors put up another run in the top of the sixth inning and Mercy responded with a bases-loaded walk by Johnson to score Valdez again, but a pair of 1-2-3 frames in the seventh ended the game 11-8 in Merrimack's favor.
Wabshinake and Valdez each recorded three hits and scored two runs, with Wabshinak adding one RBI. Johnstone, Bentson and Johnson also reached base three times apiece as Johnstone went 2-for-4 with a walk, two runs and two RBI while Bentson was 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI and Johnson went 1-for-3 with two walks and one RBI. Gross finished 2-for-5 with one run.
Mercy 2, Merrimack 6
Merrimack jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second game after loading the bases with one out. Junior Jackie Couillard (Wolcott, Conn. / Wolcott) knotted the game at 1-1 with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the second inning and it was a full-on pitchers' duel from that point.
The Mavericks and Warriors could only muster a combined three base runners over the next three innings before Johnson sent Mercy ahead on a solo shot with two outs.
The Warriors responded with a five-run top of the seventh inning, including a grand slam, to shut the door on the game, however.
Couilard went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI to lead six Mavericks who recorded hits in Game Two. Senior Mary Sieber (Massapequa Park, N.Y. / Massapequa) allowed just one earned run over six innings in the circle.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks will head to the University of Bridgeport (9-11, 4-0) for an East Coast Conference doubleheader tomorrow, Saturday, Mar. 29 at 10 a.m. Please note that the start time has been moved up from 12 p.m.
