DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Apr. 3, 2022) – Powered by freshman Maddie Lula (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) hitting her first two collegiate home runs, the Mercy College softball team earned an 8-2 win in game one before falling 4-3 in the nightcap to ECC foe College of Staten Island on Sunday afternoon at Smith Field.

The Mavericks (3-24, 1-3 ECC) snap a 16-game losing streak with the game one win and pick up their first ECC win. The game one win is also the first for Interim Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo as a Maverick. The Dolphins (6-12, 1-7 ECC) earn their first ECC win of the year with the game two win.

Game 1: Mercy 8, Staten Island 2

The Dolphins took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an Anissa Acosta solo home run. Mercy answered with a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1-1. Sophomore Shannon Sisco (Cicero, N.Y./Mansfield University) singled and stole second before junior Sydney Johnston (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) singled her home to tie the game.

Mercy took the lead for good in the second inning when they scored a run to make it 2-1. Juniors Hailey Puglia (Holtsville, N.Y./Assumption University) and Nicole Smart (Santa Clarita, Calif./Golden Valley) recorded back-to-back singles. Puglia would steal home to give the Mavericks the lead.

The Mavericks added on three more runs in the third inning to take a 5-1 lead. Senior Alexis Crawford (Hemet, Calif./West Valley High) singled and stole second before Sisco singled her home to make it 3-1. Junior Samantha Franck (La Habra Heights, Calif./La Habra) then singled before Johnston reached on an error bringing Sisco home to give Mercy a 4-1 lead. Puglia brought in the final run on an RBI single up the middle that scored Johnston to make it 5-1.

Mercy increased the lead to 8-1 in the fourth inning. Senior Ariana Ricci (Sacramento, Calif./Cosumnes Oaks) singled to lead off the inning before Lula homered to center field to put Mercy up 7-1. Crawford then singled and later scored on a Johnston RBI single to right field giving the Mavericks an 8-1 lead.

Acosta recorded her second home run of the day in the fifth inning, but junior Alexi Benson (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) did not allow another run to give Mercy the game one win.

Lula went 2-for-3 with two RBI and her first collegiate home run. Johnston went 2-for-4 with a game-high three RBI and Puglia went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Sisco went 2-for-2 with an RBI and Crawford went 2-for-4 with two runs. Ricci went 1-for-1 with a run and Franck and Smart both went 1-for-3. Benson pitched a complete game with 10 strikeouts to earn her third win of the season.

Staten Island was led by Acosta who went 3-for-3 with two home runs. Kelsey Strayer pitched 2.1 innings with four earned runs allowed to take the loss.

Mercy had 13 hits and two errors and Staten Island had seven hits and one error.

Game 2: Staten Island 4, Mercy 3

Staten Island scored four runs in the top of the first on two hits and one Mercy error to take a 4-0 lead. The score remained 4-0 until the bottom of the fourth when the Mavericks scored a run to make it 4-1. Sisco and Franck singled to put runners on first and third before Johnston singled home Sisco to cut the Dolphins lead to three.

Mercy inched closer in the fifth inning when Lula homered for the second time down the right field line to make it 4-2.

The score remained 4-2 until the bottom of the seventh. Ricci led off the inning with a single and later advanced to third after a wild pitch and groundout. Sisco would bring Ricci home with a single up the middle to make it 4-3. A fly out to right ended the inning and the game.

Lula went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Sisco and Johnston both went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Ricci went 2-for-3 with a run and Puglia went 1-for-3. Franck and Crawford both went 1-for-4. Senior Sabrina Gonzalez (Royal Palm Beach, Fla./Wellington) pitched a complete game with just two earned runs allowed to take the loss.

Staten Island was led by Laila Aponte who went 4-for-4 with two RBI. Acosta pitched six innings with three earned runs allowed to earn the win. Strayer pitched the seventh inning to earn the save.

Mercy had 10 hits and two errors and Staten Island had eight hits and one error.

Interim Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo and the Mavericks resume action on Tuesday, April 5th when they play at Molloy at 3 p.m.