Strong Pitching Trio Keeps Softball Tight Versus No. 18 LIU Post
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 12, 2014) – Strong pitching by a trio of Mavericks hurlers kept the Mercy College softball team right in the thick of it against No. 18 LIU Post in an East Coast Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.
LIU Post took both games to improve to 26-4 overall and 13-1 in the ECC, while Mercy is now 7-26 (3-13).
Mercy 0, LIU Post 7
Senior Mary Sieber (Massapequa Park, N.Y. / Massapequa) got out of some early trouble after the Pioneers loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first inning, and Mercy nearly got on the board first as seniors Ashley Johnstone (Bellmore, N.Y. / John F. Kennedy) andKelly Bentson (Brewster, N.Y. / Brewster) drew back-to-back walks with one out in the bottom of the frame, but could not be brought home.
A leadoff home run was all LIU Post could do against Sieber in the top of the second inning, and again Mercy had a chance to score in the bottom of the inning as junior Michelle Duford (Maple Ridge, B.C., Canada / Seward County CC) and freshman Julie Gross (Port Monmouth, N.J. / Middletown North) advanced to second and third base with one out after a leadoff single and walk, respectively.
Sieber continued to mow down the opposition with back-to-back 1-2-3 third and fourth innings, retiring nine straight and 12 of 14 batters from the second inning through the fifth, but the Pioneers finally mustered another two-run shot to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning.
A double play erased a leadoff single by junior Jackie Couillard (Wolcott, Conn. / Wolcott) in the bottom of the frame, and LIU Post's bats finally broke through in the top of the seventh, plating four. Mercy put runners on first and second base with two outs in a final chance, but was unable to make anything of it.
Gross (0-for-1, two walks) and Johnstone )1-for-3, one walk) each reached base twice for the Mavericks while freshman Katiana Golino (Carteret, N.J. / Carteret) singled in a pinch-hit appearance.
Mercy 1, LIU Post 5
The Mavericks loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, but the Pioneers would get on the board first in the top of the second, scoring on a pair of errors to go up 1-0. Mercy did equalize in the bottom of the third as senior Natalie Wabshinak (New Fairfield, Conn. / New Fairfield) came around to score after a leadoff single, but LIU Post tacked on four more runs in the sixth inning to seal the victory.
Wabshinak was 2-for-4 with one run while Bentson reached base three times (1-for-2, two walks) and junior Megan Johnson (Gilbert, Ariz. / Phoenix College) got aboard twice via walks. Freshman Anna Cochis (Clifton Park, N.Y. / Catholic Central) surrendered just one earned run while striking out two over three innings in the start, while freshmanJordyn Moquin (Southington, Conn. / Southington) did not allow an earned run over three innings in relief.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks will cross the Tappan Zee Bridge tomorrow, Sunday, Apr. 13 to take on St. Thomas Aquinas College (2-22, 1-13).
