Stevens Earns Complete Game Victory in Game Two to Lead Softball to Split at Bridgeport
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Box Score 2 BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Apr. 11, 2017) – Powered by a complete game victory and an RBI in game two from sophomore Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal), the Mercy College softball team earned a doubleheader split with ECC foe University of Bridgeport on Tuesday afternoon at Seaside Park. The Mavericks dropped the first game 8-3 before holding on for a 5-2 victory in the nightcap.
Mercy (16-6, 9-3 ECC) have split each of their last three doubleheaders and remain in first place in the ECC standings, while the Purple Knights (16-13, 5-5 ECC) have won three of their last four games.
Game 1: Bridgeport 8, Mercy 3
After the Mavericks put runners on first and second in the top of the first, the Purple Knights responded in the bottom half of the inning with three runs on two hits and a Mercy error to take a 3-0 lead. Following another scoreless inning by the Mavericks in the top of the second, Bridgeport put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the second to increase their lead to 8-0.
Mercy finally got on the board in the top of the third as junior Morgan Lloyd (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) recorded an RBI double that scored junior Skania Lemus (Chula Vista, Calif./Southwestern CC), who led off the inning with a single, making it 8-1. Freshman Destini Bullock (San Diego, Calif./Helix) then went on to hit a two-run home run over the left field fence to score Lloyd, getting the Mavericks within 8-3.
Bridgeport would hold on for the game one victory as they held Mercy hitless for the final four innings.
Bullock went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI and Lloyd went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Lemus went 1-for-4 with a run scored and senior Julie Gross (Port Monmouth, N.J./Middletown North) went 1-for-3. Senior Jackie Kielty (Middleboro, Mass./Dean College) made the start in the circle and went the first 1 1/3 innings with two earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Bridgeport was led by Meghan O'Leary who went 4-for-4 with three RBI, while Kaitlyn Lajoie pitched five innings to earn the win.
Game 2: Mercy 5, Bridgeport 2
The nightcap saw the hosts jump out to a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly in the first inning, but the Mavericks got their bats back on track in the top of the second. Junior Cassidy Wootten (Ardsley, N.Y./Monroe College) led off the inning with a double and sophomore Emma Gilaga (Elmwood Park, N.J./Elmwood Park Memorial), who pinch ran for Wootten, came around to score on a wild pitch and error by the catcher to tie the game up at 1-1. Mercy took their first lead of the contest later in the inning as Lemus hit an RBI single to center field to put the Mavericks up 2-1. Junior Baylee McCormick (Las Vegas, Nev./Indian Springs) also scored on the play after an error by the centerfielder to give Mercy a 3-1 advantage.
After Stevens tossed a scoreless second inning, the Mavericks went back to work in the third and plated two more runs to take a 5-1 lead. Gross smacked an RBI single that scored Lloyd and Stevens helped herself with an RBI groundout that scored Bullock.
Stevens continued to pitch well and allowed just one hit in the next three innings to keep the Mavericks ahead 5-1 heading to the Purple Knights final at bat. Bridgeport scored a run in the seventh to make it 5-2 and had runners on first and third with two outs, but Stevens got a groundout to shortstop to end the game.
Lemus went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Gross went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Lloyd, Bullock, Wootten and McCormick also recorded hits. Stevens went the distance with two earned runs allowed with four strikeouts to pick up her fifth win.
Bridgeport was led by Allison Luzzi who went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Alyssa Bua went the distance in the circle and took the loss.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action on Thursday, April 13th at Queens College at 2 p.m.
