Gardiner Drives in a Pair as Softball Opens 2015 Season Against Saint Anselm and Wilmington
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Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. (Mar. 7, 2015) – Junior Amanda Gardiner (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) went 3-for-6 with two RBI and a run scored and freshman Marlena Marzigliano (Highland Mills, N.Y./Cornwall) finished 3-for-7 with three runs scored as the Mercy College softball team opened up its 2015 season with a 10-2 loss in six innings to Saint Anselm College and a 14-7 defeat to Wilmington (Del.) in Florida on Saturday.
The Mavericks open up the season 0-2, while the Hawks improve to 8-2 and the Wildcats move to 4-1.
Game 1: Saint Anselm 10, Mercy 2
In their season opener, Mercy ran into a Saint Anselm team that was already playing their 10th game of the season and the Hawks took advantage by putting a three-spot up in the first to take an early 3-0 lead. Saint Anselm would add on four more in the top half of the second to extend the lead to 7-0.
The Mavericks scored their first runs of 2015 in the bottom of the third as they plated a run on a Hawk error and received an RBI single from senior Jackie Couillard (Wolcott, Conn./Wolcott) through the right side that scored Gardiner to cut the deficit to 7-2.
That would be the closest Mercy would get as Saint Anselm tacked on a run in each of the next three innings to secure the six-inning win.
Couillard ended the opener 1-for-3 with an RBI, while sophomore Katiana Golino (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) finished 2-for-3. Sophomore Jackie Kielty (Middleboro, Mass./Dean College) took the loss in the circle for the Mavericks.
Game 2: Wilmington 14, Mercy 7
The nightcap saw the Mavericks get their bats on track as they finished with 10 hits and seven runs, but were undone by five errors in the field that led to nine unearned runs for the Wildcats. Wilmington got on the board first with a run in the top of the first before sophomore Julie Gross (Port Monmouth, N.J./Middletown North) came through with an RBI groundout to even up the score at 1-1.
The Wildcats put a run across in the second and scored five more in the third to take a 7-1 lead. Gardiner continued her strong day in the bottom of the third with a double to left center that scored Marzigliano who tripled in the previous at bat.
Wilmington plated four more runs in the fourth to build a 11-2 edge but the Mavericks came back with a four-run inning of their own as junior Milana Gilaga (Elmwood Park, N.J./Memorial) and Gardiner each drove in a run to get Mercy closer at 11-6 after four innings.
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Wildcats scored a run in the sixth and two in the seventh to build a 14-6 advantage before the Mavericks scored their final run of the day on an RBI single from freshman Morgan Lloyd (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme).
Lloyd ended the contest 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Gardiner and Marzigliano each recorded two hits apiece with Marzigliano coming around to score two times.
Sophomore Holly Pundick (Whiterock, B.C./Jefferson College) finished with the loss in her Mavericks debut, going three innings with only one earned run allowed on six hits.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks will return to the field tomorrow as they take on West Liberty at 9 am and Slippery Rock at 3 pm.
