Lemus, Wootten and Meeks Combine For 17 RBI as Softball Explodes For 32 Runs in Sweep of Chestnut Hill
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Box Score 2 PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Mar. 30, 2017) – Powered by a combined 17 RBI from juniors Cassidy Wootten (Ardsley, N.Y./Monroe College) and Skania Lemus (Chula Vista, Calif./Southwestern CC) and freshman Kendall Meeks (Guysville, Ohio/Alexander), the Mercy College softball team exploded for 32 runs in a doubleheader sweep of Chestnut Hill College on Thursday afternoon at CHC Softball Field. The Mavericks won 12-3 in six innings in the opener before taking a 20-3 decision in five innings in the nightcap.
The Mavericks (9-3) have now won three games in a row, while the Griffins (3-15) have dropped five games in a row.
Game 1: Mercy 12, Chestnut Hill 3
The opening game of the day saw the Mavericks get off to a good start as Lemus led off the game with a home run to right center to make it 1-0. Chestnut Hill evened the score up at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning as Brielle Riotte recorded an RBI single.
After a scoreless second inning, the Griffins took their first lead of the game as they recorded two runs to build a 3-1 lead after three innings of play. The lead did not last long as Mercy followed with eight runs on eight hits and two Chestnut Hill errors in the fourth inning to take the lead for good at 9-3. Senior Katiana Golino (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) recorded an RBI single and senior Janelle Wade (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) later added an RBI single down the left field line that scored Lemus to make it 4-3. Wootten later hit an RBI double with the bases loaded that brought home three runs to increase the lead to 7-3. Meeks continued her streaky hitting with a two-run home run that scored Wootten to cap off the scoring in the inning.
The score remained 9-3 until the sixth inning when junior Morgan Lloyd (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) singled home Wade and Wootten notched a two-run home run of her own to make it 12-3. After a scoreless inning in the sixth pitched by the Meeks, the Mavericks came away with the win via the run-rule.
Wootten went 3-for4 with two runs scored and five RBI, while Meeks went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI. Wade and Lloyd both went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI and Lemus batted 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI. Meeks tossed the final 3 1/3 innings in the circle with one hit allowed to earn the win.
Chestnut Hill received RBI from Corie Apodaca, Brielle Riotte and Ashleigh Sharp. Nichole Eberhard went the first 3 2/3 innings to take the loss.
Game 2: Mercy 20, Chestnut Hill 3
The Mavericks continued to swing the bats well in the nightcap, finishing with 20 runs on 28 hits while limiting the Griffins to just one hit and three runs.
Mercy ended any doubt of the result of the contest in the top of the first as they plated eight runs on ten hits to take a commanding 8-0 lead. Senior Julie Gross (Port Monmouth, N.J./Middletown North) began the scoring with a two-RBI double to center field before sophomore Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) followed with an RBI single. Junior Baylee McCormick (Las Vegas, Nev./Indian Springs) hit a sacrifice fly in the next at bat and Meeks drove home Stevens with an RBI single up the middle that made it 5-0. Lemus later brought home a pair of runs on a two-RBI single before Lloyd concluded the scoring with an RBI single to left center.
After Meeks tossed a scoreless bottom of the first, the Mavericks tacked on four more runs in the second as Meeks blasted a three-run homer to left field and sophomore Marisa Miano (Las Vegas, Nev./Colorado Mesa University) scored on a wild pitch. Chestnut Hill scored all three of their runs in the bottom of the second to cut the Mercy lead to 12-3. Mercy quickly responded with another big inning in the third as they scored seven more runs to build a 19-3 lead. Wootten knocked an RBI single, McCormick singled home a run and Lemus singled home two runs to make it 16-3. Junior Allie Pellizzaro (Victoria, British Columbia/Eastern Arizona CC) doubled home Miano and later scored with Lemus on a Chestnut Hill error to conclude the scoring in the frame.
After the Griffins recorded their lone hit in the third, the Mavericks produced their final run of the game as McCormick doubled home freshman Destini Bullock (San Diego, Calif./Helix) to make it 20-3. The combo of freshman Alexis Carmichael (Allen, Texas/Allen) and senior Jackie Kielty (Middleboro, Mass./Dean College) held Chestnut Hill hitless the rest of the way as Mercy won again via the run-rule.
Lemus went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI and Meeks went 2-for-2 with two runs and four RBI. McCormick batted 3-for-3 with two runs and three RBI and Gross went 2-for-3 with a run and two RBI. Lloyd went 3-for-3 with two runs and an RBI and Miano went 3-for-4 with three runs. Stevens went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Wootten went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Wade ended up 2-for-2 and Carmichael earned the win with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Chestnut Hill received RBI from Marissa Maioran and Kailey Reposa, while Hunter Irvin went 2 2/3 innings to take the loss.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks look to make it five wins in a row when they play at Molloy at 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 1st.
