OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Apr. 2, 2019) – Despite a team-high five hits on the day from senior Mikayla Newham (Redding, Calif./Yavapai College), the Mercy College softball team dropped two 6-1 decisions to ECC foe NYIT on Tuesday afternoon.
The Mavericks (13-13, 1-5 ECC) have dropped three games in a row, while the Bears (8-11, 2-4 ECC) pick up their first ECC wins.
Game 1: NYIT 6, Mercy 1
Mercy scored first in the opening game of the day, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Newham and senior Marisa Miano (Las Vegas, Nev./Colorado Mesa University) singled to lead off the game. Both moved up a base after a wild pitch before sophomore Hannah Mueller (Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista) drove in Newham on a fielder's choice to make it 1-0. Mercy later loaded the bases in the inning but a groundout to second ended the threat.
It remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fourth when NYIT scored all six of their runs on two hits and a Mercy error to take a 6-1 lead. The biggest blow of the inning came on a Samantha Melendez grand slam.
The Mavericks would not be able to score again, giving the Bears the game one win.
Newham went 2-for-3 with a run scored and Mueller went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Freshman Katelyn Shephard (Beaumont, Calif./Beaumont) allowed four runs in 3.2 innings to take the loss.
Melendez led NYIT by going 2-for-4 with four RBI. Carissa Della Vecchia tossed a complete game to earn the win.
Game 2: NYIT 6, Mercy 1
NYIT jumped out to a 2-0 lead in game two with a run in the first and another in the second inning. It remained 2-0 until the top of the fifth when Mercy scored a run to make it 2-1. Freshman Sabrina Gonzalez (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Wellington) singled and moved over to second on a sacrifice bunt before Newham singled and advanced to second to put runners on second and third. Freshman Alexis Crawford (Hemet, Calif./West Valley High) walked to load the bases before senior Raina Gorman (Ardsley, N.Y./Florida Southwestern State College) drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home Gonzalez. A fly out to left field ended the inning with the bases loaded.
The Bears scored four more runs in the sixth inning to take a 6-1 lead and they held Mercy off the board in the seventh inning to secure the win.
Newham went 3-for-4. Gonzalez went 1-for-2 and surrendered three earned runs in 5.0 innings to take the loss.
NYIT was led by Ruth Rodriguez who had a game-high two RBI. Emily Koerick pitched a complete game to earn the victory.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action on Thursday, April 4th when they host Queens at 2:30 p.m.
