DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 15, 2022) – Powered by a home run from senior Ylannah Bowman (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) and a complete game from junior Alexi Benson (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) in game one, the Mercy College softball team earned a 6-1 win before falling 8-6 in the nightcap to ECC foe D'Youville University on Friday afternoon at Smith Field.

The Mavericks (7-28, 5-7 ECC) earn their fifth straight doubleheader split, while the Saints (17-11, 6-8 ECC) pick up their first-ever win over Mercy.

Game 1: Mercy 6, D'Youville 1

Mercy took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second with two runs on one hit. Bowman hit a two-run home run to right center after junior Nicole Smart (Santa Clarita, Calif./Golden Valley) reached on a fielder's choice to give Mercy an early 2-0 lead.

The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the third when Mercy scored two runs to take a 4-0 lead. Freshman Victoria Seppala (Abington, Mass./Abington) started the inning off with a walk and stole second before senior Alexis Crawford (Hemet, Calif./West Valley High) walked. A sacrifice by sophomore Shannon Sisco (Cicero, N.Y./Mansfield University) moved the runners to second and third. Junior Samantha Franck (La Habra Heights, Calif./La Habra) then hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield to make it 3-0 and junior Sydney Johnston (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) doubled home Crawford to make it 4-0.

D'Youville scored an unearned run in the top of the fourth to make it 4-1. Mercy tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a 6-1 lead. Crawford led off the inning with her 100th career hit and later scored on a Franck RBI groundout to make it 5-1. Smart later doubled home Sisco for the final run, giving Mercy a 6-1 lead.

Benson did not allow another run and helped give Mercy the 6-1 game one win.

Bowman went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a home run and Crawford went 1-for-3 with two runs and her 100th career hit. Sisco went 1-for-2 and Johnston went 1-for-2 with an RBI. Smart went 1-for-3 with an RBI and freshman Maddie Lula (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) went 1-for-3. Franck had a game-high-tying two RBI. Benson pitched a complete game with no earned runs allowed and nine strikeouts to earn her sixth win.

D'Youville was led by Hannah Bardeen who went 2-for-3. Lauren Booth allowed six runs in 4.2 innings to take the loss.

Mercy had six hits and two errors and D'Youville had five hits and one error.

Game 2: D'Youville 8, Mercy 6

D'Youville took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first on a Hannah Bardeen three-run home run. Mercy got a run back in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-1. Junior Hailey Puglia (Holtsville, N.Y./Assumption University) recorded an RBI single that scored Franck who singled earlier in the inning to get Mercy on the board.

Mercy scored two runs in the third inning to tie the game at 3-3. Sisco tripled to lead off the inning and Franck singled her home to make it 3-2. Smart later singled home Franck to tie the game at 3-3.

D'Youville regained the lead at 4-3 with a run in the top of the fourth. The Saints tacked on another run in the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Mercy would score two runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 5-5. Lula homered for the first run to make it 5-4. Crawford later tripled and Sisco singled her home to even the score at 5-5.

The Saints plated three runs in the top of the seventh to take an 8-5 lead. Mercy scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to make it 8-6 but could not get closer.

Franck went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI and Sisco went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Smart went 2-for-4 with an RBI and Lula went 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. Crawford went 1-for-4 and Puglia went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Johnston went 1-for-3 and senior Ariana Ricci (Sacramento, Calif./Cosumnes Oaks) went 1-for-4. Junior Angelina Oquendo (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) pitched five innings with five runs allowed to take a no-decision. Senior Sabrina Gonzalez (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Wellington) pitched a scoreless inning of relief. Benson allowed one earned run in the seventh to take the loss.

D'Youville was led by Bardeen who went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Sarah Parzych pitched six innings to earn the win and Cassie Crerar pitched the seventh to earn the save.

Mercy had 13 hits and one error and D'Youville had 12 hits and one error.

Interim Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they host Molloy for Senior Day at 1 p.m.