DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Mar. 26, 2019) – Despite home runs from senior Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal), junior Erica Handegard (Reno, Nev./Earl Wooster) and freshman Ylannah Bowman (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral), the Mercy College softball team dropped 13-4 and 10-1 decisions to ECC foe LIU Post on Tuesday afternoon at Smith Field.
The Mavericks (11-9, 0-2 ECC) drop their ECC opener, while the Pioneers (16-4, 2-0 ECC) have won nine games in a row.
Game 1: LIU Post 13, Mercy 4
After two scoreless innings, LIU Post scored three runs in the third inning on four hits to take a 3-0 lead. The Pioneers tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth on an Allie Laird two-run home run to take a 5-0 lead.
LIU Post made it 8-0 in the top of the fifth when they plated three runs on three hits and two Mercy errors. The Mavericks got on the board in the fifth inning when Handegard led off the inning with a home run to center field to make it 8-1.
Mercy added on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to bring the score to 8-4. Junior Erika Byrne (San Diego, Calif./San Diego Mesa College) started the scoring with an RBI single to right center that scored senior Mikayla Newham (Redding, Calif./Yavapai College) who led off the inning with a single. Stevens then followed with a two-run home run to center field that made it 8-4.
The visitors put the game away in the seventh inning with five runs on three hits and four errors to take a 13-4 lead they would not relinquish.
Handegard went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Stevens went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Byrne went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Newham went 2-for-3. Senior Raina Gorman (Ardsley, N.Y./Florida Southwestern State College) pitched 3.1 innings to take the loss.
LIU Post was led by Allie Laird who went 3-for-5 with three RBI. Katie Humhej tossed a complete game to pick up the win.
Game 2: LIU Post 10, Mercy 1
LIU Post broke through first with a run in the top of the second on two hits to take a 1-0 lead. The Pioneers added on three runs in the third, two in the fourth and two in the fifth to take an 8-0 lead.
Mercy responded in the bottom of the fifth with Bowman leading off the inning with her first home run to make it 8-1.
LIU Post scored two more runs in the top of the sixth to take a 10-1 lead. Mercy could not score in the bottom of the inning, giving the Pioneers a sweep via the run-rule.
Bowman went 1-for-2 with an RBI and Gorman and Byrne went 1-for-3. Stevens pitched 3.1 innings to take the loss.
LIU Post was led by Abbey Fortin who went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Hannah Olshevski pitched a complete game to earn the win.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action on Thursday, March 28th when they host Southern Connecticut State at 2:30 p.m.
