Cusumano Tosses Third Complete-Game Shutout of Season to Lead Softball to Split on Day One of Florida Trip
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Box Score 2 CLERMONT, Fla. (Mar. 11, 2016) – Powered by the third complete-game shutout of the season by freshman McKaily Cusumano (Monroe, Mich./Monroe), the Mercy College softball team earned a, 2-0, victory over Pace University to open up their Florida trip on Friday afternoon. The Mavericks went on to drop a, 5-4, decision in the nightcap to American International College.
The Mavericks (3-5) are now 3-3 in their last six games and are a perfect 3-0 when Cusumano starts in the circle. The Setters (1-1) picked up their first win of the season later in the day against Southern New Hampshire, while the Yellow Jackets (4-4) conclude their stay in the Sunshine State with three straight wins.
Game 1: Mercy 2, Pace 0
Cusumano once again dominated the opposition in her third start as a Maverick, limiting the Setters to just one hit in seven shutout innings with seven strikeouts. The freshman is now 3-0 on the season with a perfect 0.00 ERA in 21.0 innings pitched.
Mercy found themselves in another pitcher's duel as the two teams combined to go scoreless for the first five innings as Pace starter Caitlin McCann went toe-to-toe with Cusumano in the circle.
McCann gave up only three hits in seven innings, but the Mavericks broke through in the sixth as sophomore Marlena Marzigliano (Highland Mills, N.Y./Cornwall) led off the inning with a single to left field. Junior Liza Ueno (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) was hit by pitch in the next at bat before senior Amanda Gardiner (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) sacrificed both runners over to second and third with one out. Freshman Joelle Salisbury (Rotterdam, N.Y./Notre Dame/Bishop Gibbons) stepped up to the plate and delivered a sacrifice fly to right field to put Mercy up 1-0.
Cusumano worked around an error in the sixth to set up the Mavericks other scoring inning in the seventh. Mercy had two outs in the frame with a runner on first before senior Milana Gilaga (Elmwood Park, N.J./Memorial) delivered a single to shortstop that moved junior Katiana Golino (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) over to second. Marzigliano followed by reaching first on an error by the third baseman that allowed Golino to score from second to give Mercy an insurance run at 2-0.
The two runs would be more than enough for Cusumano who worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to give Mercy the win.
Marzigliano went 1-for-3 with a run scored, while junior Julie Gross (Port Monmouth, N.J./Middletown North) batted 1-for-2 with a double. Gilaga capped off the game going 1-for-3.
Game 2: American International 5, Mercy 4
The second game of the day saw the Mavericks carry over their momentum from the opening game win as they jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first inning. However, the Yellow Jackets overcame a 4-0 deficit to earn a 5-4 win over Mercy.
After a scoreless 1-2-3 inning tossed by Mavericks freshman starter Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal), the Mavericks put three runs on the board in the bottom of the first to take a 3-0 lead. Marzigliano led off the inning with a single to right and later advanced to second on a Gardiner sacrifice. Gross followed with single to center that saw Marzigliano move to third. Stevens followed with a double that saw Marzigliano score, while Gross also scored on the throw to make it 2-0. Sophomore Morgan Lloyd (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) ripped an RBI single to left field to score Stevens and make it 3-0.
Mercy added on a run in the third as Gross doubled to lead off the inning and was pinch run for by freshman Emma Gilaga (Elmwood Park, N.J./Elmwood Park Memorial) who later scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0. The Mavericks looked to be on their way to a second win, but American International had other plans as they followed with two runs in the fourth, coming off a two-run home run to make it 4-2.
The two teams went scoreless in the fifth before the Yellow Jackets put up three runs in the sixth to take their first lead of the game at 5-4. Mercy drew a leadoff walk in the sixth but were unable to tie the game. The Mavericks threatened with runners on first and second in their final at bat, but a strikeout and flyout ended the threat and game.
Gross finished the contest 3-for-3 with one run scored, while Marzigliano went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Stevens, Lloyd and freshman Marisa Miano (Las Vegas, Nev./Colorado Mesa University) recorded the Mavericks other hits. Salisbury pitched 1/3 of an inning in relief and allowed one earned run to take the loss.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow as they take on Cedarville and Pittsburgh-Johnstown beginning at 1 p.m.
