Johnstone Records 100th Career Hit as Softball Hosts ECC Rival Queens
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 17, 2014) – Senior Ashley Johnstone (Bellmore, N.Y. / John F. Kennedy) recorded her 100th career hit as the Mercy College softball team hosted East Coast Conference rival Queens College in a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon.
The Knights took both games by identical 5-2 scores to improve to 26-12 overall and 14-6 in the ECC, while the Mavericks are now 9-28 (5-15).
Mercy 2, Queens 5
Senior Mary Sieber (Massapequa Park, N.Y. / Massapequa) began the game with a 1-2-3 inning and senior Natalie Wabshinak (New Fairfield, Conn. / New Fairfield) got things rolling in the bottom of the first, leading off with a double and coming around to score on a sacrifice fly by Johnstone to give Mercy the 1-0 lead.
Queens strung together three straight singles to open the second inning, scoring once to tie the game before Sieber could get out of the jam. The Mavericks managed to get three runners into scoring position over the next two frames, but none could be driven home. Sieber recorded another clean inning in the third, but the Knights struck again on a two-out RBI single to take the 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth.
Mercy responded immediately as freshman Jordyn Moquin (Southington, Conn. / Southington), in only her third collegiate game as a hitter, slapped an RBI single up the middle to score the tying run in junior Michelle Duford (Maple Ridge, B.C., Canada / Seward County CC).
Both teams threatened to score in the fifth as the Knights put runners on second and third with just one out while the Mavericks loaded the bases with no outs, but both pitchers came away unscathed and the game remained tied.
Queens mustered a leadoff single off Moquin as she relieved Sieber in the top of the sixth, but the rookie came up with two big strikeouts to avoid any trouble, although Mercy was unable to get anything going in the bottom of the sixth.
The Knights went on to score three runs on a two-run homer and RBI double in the top of the seventh and, although the Mavericks had the makings of a rally with runners on first and second base with two outs, Queens held on for the win.
Wabshinak and junior Megan Johnson (Gilbert, Ariz. / Phoenix College) each went 2-for-4 while Duford walked twice in three plate appearances and Johnstone was 0-for-1 with a walk, two sacrifices and one RBI. Sieber surrendered just two earned runs over five innings in the no-decision, while Moquin struck out three hitters over her two innings in relief.
Mercy 2, Queens 5
Both teams were held in check early in Game Two, with the Mavericks coming closest to scoring as they moved two runners into scoring position with just one out in the bottom of the third. Queens bounced right back, however, to plate the go-ahead run on an RBI double and never looked back, tacking on two more in the fifth for a 3-0 lead.
Mercy put runners on second and third in the bottom of the fifth inning, but once again was unable to plate either. The Mavericks finally got on the board via a leadoff solo home run by Bentson and Wabshinak RBI single later in the sixth inning, but the Knights added two insurance runs on another home run in the seventh and held on for the victory.
Wabshinak and junior Jackie Couillard (Wolcott, Conn. / Wolcott) each recorded a pair of hits while Duford also reached base twice, going 1-for-2 with a walk. Senior Brittany Serrao (Lake Hiawatha, N.J. / Parsippany) surrendered just one earned run on four hits while striking out two over four innings.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks will host Molloy College (19-14, 12-4) in an ECC doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 19 at 1 p.m.
