FLUSHING, N.Y. (Apr. 16, 2019) – Despite a team-high two RBI on the day from senior Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal), the Mercy College softball team suffered 5-2 and 15-7 setbacks to ECC foe Queens College on Tuesday afternoon.
The Mavericks (20-22, 7-11 ECC) have dropped four games in a row, while the Knights (6-23, 4-14 ECC) snap a two-game losing streak.
Game 1: Queens 5, Mercy 2
Mercy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a hit and a Queens error. Stevens reached on an error by the first baseman and moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt. Freshman Jessica Brandt (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) then singled up the middle to score Stevens from second, giving Mercy a 1-0 lead.
It stayed 1-0 until the fourth inning when the Mavericks scored another run on three hits to build a 2-0 lead. Stevens led off the inning with a single and junior Erica Handegard (Reno, Nev./Earl Wooster) followed with a single to put runners on first and second. A groundout moved the runners to second and third before freshman Ylannah Bowman (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) recorded an RBI groundout to second that scored Stevens.
Queens got a run back in the fifth inning to make it 2-1. The Knights exploded for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 5-2 lead. The biggest blow of the inning was a Nicole Michaels three-run home run that gave Queens the lead.
Mercy went down in order in the seventh to give Queens the game one win.
Brandt went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Handegard went 1-for-2. Stevens went 1-for-3 and allowed three earned runs in the circle in six innings to take the loss.
Queens was led by Michaels who went 1-for-3 with three RBI. Allie Stanya pitched a complete game with just one earned run allowed to pick up the win.
Game 2: Queens 15, Mercy 7
Mercy jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on three hits. Sophomore Hannah Mueller (Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista) led off the game with a single and senior Mikayla Newham (Redding, Calif./Yavapai College) followed with a single to put runners on first and second. A groundout moved the runners to second and third and Handegard brought home the first run with an RBI single up the middle which scored Mueller to make it 1-0. Newham later scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-0. Queens responded with a run in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1.
The Mavericks got their bats going in the second inning when they scored four runs to take a 6-1 lead. Sophomore Casey Akers (Keller, Texas/Timber Creek) and junior Erika Byrne (San Diego, Calif./San Diego Mesa College) led off the inning with singles and Mueller later singled to load the bases. Newham plated Akers on a foul out for the first run of the inning and freshman Jordan DiGiacinto (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) singled to right center to score Byrne for the second run of the inning. Stevens then delivered a two-run single down the right field line that scored DiGiacinto and Mueller to give the Mavericks a five-run lead. Queens made it 6-2 with a run in the bottom of the second.
The Knights added four runs in the third, three runs in the fourth and a run in the fifth to take a 10-6 lead. Mercy scored a run in the top of the sixth on an Ariana Ricci (Sacramento, Calif./Cosumnes Oaks) RBI double to make it 10-7. Queens came back in the bottom of the sixth with five runs to win the game via the run-rule.
Mueller went 4-for-4 with two runs and Handegard went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Stevens went 1-for-3 with two RBI and Newham and DiGiacinto both went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Ricci went 1-for-2 with an RBI and senior Raina Gorman (Ardsley, N.Y./Florida Southwestern State College) went 3.0 innings with five earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Queens was led by Sharina Nazario who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two home runs. Macy Kane pitched 4.2 innings of relief to pick up the win.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Saint Rose at 2:30 p.m.
