BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (Apr. 6, 2019) – Powered by four RBI on the day from senior Kaylee Stevens (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal), the Mercy College softball team dropped an 11-3 decision in game one to ECC foe University of Bridgeport before earning a 5-2 win in game two on Saturday afternoon at Seaside Park.
The Mavericks (16-14, 4-6 ECC) have won three of their last four games, while the Purple Knights (22-6, 7-3 ECC) drop their first home game of the year.
Game 1: Bridgeport 11, Mercy 3
Mercy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on two hits. Senior Mikayla Newham (Redding, Calif./Yavapai College) led off the game with a single and advanced to second on a groundout. After a strikeout, Stevens singled to bring home Newham, giving Mercy an early lead.
The Mavericks made it 2-0 in the top of the second when freshman Jessica Brandt (Temecula, Calif./Temecula Valley) scored on an error after leading off the inning with a single.
A Jordan DiGiacinto (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) home run to lead off the third inning gave Mercy a 3-0 lead. It remained 3-0 until the bottom of the fourth when Bridgeport scored three runs to tie the game up at 3-3.
The Purple Knights added on five runs in the fifth and three runs in the sixth to earn the win via the run-rule.
Stevens went 1-for-2 with an RBI and DiGiacinto went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Brandt went 2-for-3 and Newham and sophomore Casey Akers (Keller, Texas/Timber Creek) went 1-for-2. Junior Alexis Carmichael (Allen, Texas/Allen) pitched 3.2 innings with four earned runs allowed to take a no-decision. Stevens pitched 1.2 innings with five runs allowed to take the loss.
Bridgeport was led by Kaira Ramon who went 2-for-4 with four RBI. Amanda Staheli pitched 5.1 innings to earn the win.
Game 2: Mercy 5, Bridgeport 2
Mercy jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on three hits. Newham singled to lead off the game and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. DiGiacinto then singled to put runners on first and third before Stevens singled to score Newham.
It stayed 1-0 until the top of the fifth when Mercy plated two more runs to build a 3-0 lead. After a popup and groundout, sophomore Hannah Mueller (Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista) singled and DiGiacinto walked to put runners on first and second. Mueller and DiGiacinto moved up a base after a passed ball and Stevens came through with a two-run double that scored both to put Mercy up 3-0.
Bridgeport answered in the bottom of the fifth with two runs on four hits to make it 3-2. The Mavericks got a run back in the top of the sixth on a Newham RBI single that scored junior Breanna Wheeler (Murrieta, Calif./Vista Murrieta) to give Mercy a 4-2 advantage.
The Mavericks added on another run in the top of the seventh on a Raina Gorman (Ardsley, N.Y./Florida Southwestern State College) RBI single that increased the Mercy lead to 5-2. Gorman worked around a double in the bottom of the seventh to give Mercy the game two win.
Stevens went 2-for-3 with three RBI and Newham went 2-for-4 with an RBI. DiGiacinto went 2-for-3 with two runs and Wheeler went 2-for-3. Gorman went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Mueller went 1-for-3. Gorman pitched a complete game with just two runs allowed to pick up her fifth win of the year.
Bridgeport was led by Samantha Sabor who went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Ashley Eisnor pitched 4.2 innings to take the loss.
Head Coach Mike Fazio and the Mavericks resume action on Tuesday, April 9th when they host St. Thomas Aquinas at 2:30 p.m.
