DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 27, 2019) – Powered by two home runs and five RBI from freshman Jordan DiGiacinto (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) in game two, the Mercy College softball team dropped a 10-6 decision in eight innings in game one to ECC foe NYIT before earning an 8-6 win in game two on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon at Smith Field.
The Mavericks (24-26, 10-14 ECC) drop the season series to the Bears (17-22, 9-13 ECC) and need NYIT to drop both games to St. Thomas Aquinas tomorrow to earn a spot in the ECC Tournament.
Game 1: NYIT 10, Mercy 6
Mercy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a freshman Ylannah Bowman (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) RBI single. The Mavericks increased the lead to 2-0 in the third inning when senior Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) singled home sophomore Hannah Mueller (Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista) who led off the inning with a walk.
The Mavericks tacked on a run in the fourth inning to build a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Casey Akers (Keller, Texas/Timber Creek) doubled and Mueller later brought her home on an RBI single to center field.
Mercy increased the lead to 6-0 in the sixth inning on a three-run home run from Bowman.
NYIT scored six runs on five hits in the top of the seventh to tie the game up at 6-6. Mercy could not score in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings.
The Bears scored four runs on three hits and three Mercy errors to take a 10-6 lead. The Mavericks could not score in the bottom of the eighth, giving NYIT the game one win.
Bowman went 2-for-5 with four RBI and Stevens went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Mueller went 1-for-2 with an RBI and DiGiacinto went 2-for-4. Senior Raina Gorman (Ardsley, N.Y./Florida Southwestern State College) pitched 6.1 innings with six earned runs allowed to earn a no-decision. Freshman Sabrina Gonzalez (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Wellington) pitched 1.2 innings to take the loss.
NYIT was led by Sydney Kratzert who went 1-for-5 with two RBI. Emily Koerick pitched 2.2 scoreless innings to pick up the win.
Game 2: Mercy 8, NYIT 6
After two scoreless innings, NYIT took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on a wild pitch. Mercy battled back in the bottom of the inning with four runs on three hits to take a 4-1 lead. Junior Breanna Wheeler (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) reached on a fielder's choice and later came around to score on a Mikayla Newham (Redding, Calif./Yavapai College) two-run home run to right center. Mueller then singled before DiGiacinto hit a two-run bomb to right center which made it 4-1.
NYIT scored two more runs in the fifth inning to make it 4-3, but the Mavericks answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take an 8-3 lead. Mueller brought home the first run with an RBI single and DiGiacinto capped off the scoring with a three-run home run to left field.
The Bears inched closer with three runs in the top of the sixth, but they could not get any closer as the Mavericks earned the game two win.
DiGiacinto went 2-for-3 with five RBI and Newham went 1-for-2 with two RBI. Mueller went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Stevens pitched 5.2 innings with four earned runs allowed to pick up the win. Senior Yazzy Jameson (San Diego, Calif./Southwestern CC) pitched the final 1.1 innings to earn the save.
NYIT was led by Kylie Lacerte who went 1-for-4 with a home run. Jessica Budrewicz pitched 4.1 innings to take the loss.
