Stevens Tosses No-Hitter and Records an RBI in Game One to Give Softball a Split With Queens
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Box Score 2 FLUSHING, N.Y. (Apr. 13, 2017) – Led by sophomore Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) tossing a no-hitter and recording an RBI in game one, the Mercy College softball team earned a doubleheader split with ECC foe Queens College on Thursday afternoon. The Mavericks earned a 2-0 victory in game one before suffering a 4-3 setback in the nightcap.
Mercy (17-7, 10-4 ECC) has split each of their last four doubleheaders and match their ECC win total from all of last year, while Queens (7-11, 4-10 ECC) has won two of their last three games. The last Maverick to toss a no-hitter was McKaily Cusumano (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) on March 22, 2016 at Bridgeport.
Game 1: Mercy 2, Queens 0
A pitcher's duel broke out between Stevens and Queens starter ToniMarie Valeriano with the duo holding the opposition off the board for the first five innings.
Mercy threatened in the top of the fourth as they had runners on second and third with two outs after singles by freshman Destini Bullock (San Diego, Calif./Helix) and senior Julie Gross (Port Monmouth, N.J./Middletown North). However, a strikeout ended the inning to keep the game scoreless.
The Mavericks loaded the bases in the top of the fifth with one out, but could not plate a run as a fielder's choice and groundout put an end to the threat.
Mercy finally broke through in the sixth as Stevens helped her cause with an RBI double to center field that scored Gross, who singled in the previous at bat, making it 1-0. The Mavericks later tacked on an unearned run to take a 2-0 lead.
Stevens continued to pitch well and allowed just one base runner the rest of the way to give Mercy the game one victory.
Gross went 2-for-4 with a run, while Stevens batted 1-for-3 and had ten strikeouts in the circle. Freshman Kendall Meeks (Guysville, Ohio/Alexander) and junior Baylee McCormick (Las Vegas, Nev./Indian Springs) also went 1-for-3.
Game 2: Queens 4, Mercy 3
The Mavericks wasted little time on scoring in the second game as Bullock hit a sacrifice fly that scored junior Skania Lemus (Chula Vista, Calif./Southwestern CC), who led off the game with a single, giving Mercy an early 1-0 lead.
Senior Jackie Kielty (Middleboro, Mass./Dean College) continued the Mavericks strong pitching and pitched five scoreless innings to begin the contest. Mercy increased their lead to 2-0 in the top of the fifth as Lemus singled and junior Cassidy Wootten (Ardsley, N.Y./Monroe College) later scored after an error by the right fielder.
The game remained 2-0 until the bottom of the sixth when Kayla Morrissey smacked a three-run home run to right center that put the Knights up 3-2. Mercy had an answer in the top of the seventh as junior Morgan Lloyd (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) hit an RBI double to left field that scored freshman Breanna Wheeler (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) to tie the game at 3-3.
Queens would end the game in the bottom of the seventh on a Stevianne Ognibene single up the middle with one out to keep the Mavericks from earning the sweep.
Lemus went 2-for-4 with a run scored and Lloyd went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Bullock went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Wootten went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Kielty went the distance with four earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Bloomfield College at 3 p.m.
