Four Mavericks Combine for Nine RBI as Softball Earns Split With NYIT
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Box Score 2 OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Apr. 8, 2017) – Powered by a combined nine RBI from senior Julie Gross (Port Monmouth, N.J./Middletown North) and juniors Morgan Lloyd (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme), Cassidy Wootten (Ardsley, N.Y./Monroe College) and Allie Pellizzaro (Victoria, British Columbia/Eastern Arizona CC), the Mercy College softball team earned a doubleheader split with ECC foe NYIT on Saturday afternoon. The Mavericks dropped the first game 5-4 before earning a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.
The Mavericks (14-4, 8-2 ECC) see their seven-game winning streak come to an end in game one, while the Bears (9-11, 3-5 ECC) have won two of their last three games.
Game 1: NYIT 5, Mercy 4
The opening game of the day saw NYIT jump out to a 3-0 lead in their first at bat as they recorded a pair of RBI doubles and used a Mercy error to take an early lead.
The score remained 3-0 until the top of the sixth when Gross hit a two-run home run to center field that scored Lloyd to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Bears responded with a two-run home run in the bottom half of the inning to bring the score to 5-2.
The Mavericks would not go down quietly in their final at bat as Pellizzaro smacked a two-run shot to trim the Bears lead to 5-4 with one out. Mercy put runners on first and third with two outs after a senior Janelle Wade (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) walk and a Lloyd single. However, a groundout to shortstop would end the threat giving NYIT the game one win.
Lloyd went 4-for-4 with a run scored and Gross went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Pellizzaro went 1-for-3 with two RBI and senior Katiana Golino (Carteret, N.J./Carteret) and freshman Hannah Howery (Athens, Ohio/Alexander) also recorded hits. Senior Jackie Kielty (Middleboro, Mass./Dean College) made the start in the circle and went the first 5 1/3 innings with four earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Game 2: Mercy 5, NYIT 3
The Mavericks began game two with three runs in the top of the first to take an early 3-0 lead. Lloyd slugged a homer over the left field fence that scored Pellizzaro to start the scoring. Wootten two batters later smacked her first home run of the game to conclude the scoring in the frame. NYIT responded with all three of their runs in the bottom of the inning with a three-run home run.
It remained 3-3 until the top of the sixth when Wootten led off the inning with a home run to left center that put the Mavericks ahead for good at 4-3. Gross drove in an insurance run in the seventh inning to put Mercy in front by two runs, 5-3, heading to the Bears final at bat.
Sophomore McKaily Cusumano (Monroe, Mich./Monroe) came in and recorded three outs in the NYIT half of the seventh inning to preserve the game two win.
Lloyd went 2-for-2 with two RBI, Wootten went 3-for-4 with two RBI and Gross batted 1-for-4 with an RBI. Golino went 1-for-4 and sophomore Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) went six innings in the circle to pick up the win. Cusumano netted three outs in the seventh to record the save.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action on Monday, April 10th when they play at Georgian Court at 2:30 p.m.
