CLERMONT, Fla. (Mar. 9, 2023) – Despite an RBI from freshman Cayla Crawford (Hemet, Calif./West Valley), the Mercy College softball team dropped a 2-1 decision to University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown before falling 6-3 to West Virginia Wesleyan College on Thursday afternoon.
The Mavericks (0-8) have dropped eight games in a row, while the Mountain Cats (2-3) pick up their second win and the Bobcats (10-5) have won eight games in a row.
Game 1: Pittsburgh-Johnstown 2, Mercy 1
The Mountain Cats took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a Laura Fox double and added an unearned run in the fifth inning to take a 2-0 lead.
Mercy scored their lone run in the top of the sixth to make it 2-1. Junior Shannon Sisco (Cicero, N.Y./Mansfield University) singled and stole second before scoring on a Mountain Cat error to make it 2-1.
The Mavericks were unable to score again and the Mountain Cats earned a 2-1 win.
Sisco went 1-for-3 with a run and Crawford went 1-for-2. Senior Sydney Johnston (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) went 1-for-3 and senior Alexi Benson (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) pitched a complete game with one earned run allowed and five strikeouts to take the loss.
Pittsburgh-Johnstown was led by Laura Fox who went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Mia Smith struck out 12 in seven innings to earn the win.
Mercy had three hits and two errors and Pittsburgh-Johnstown had four hits and two errors.
Game 2: West Virginia Wesleyan 6, Mercy 3
The Bobcats scored three runs on three hits to take a 3-0 lead after the top of the first. Mercy struck for two runs in the bottom of the first to make it 3-2. Senior Hailey Puglia (Holtsville, N.Y./Assumption University) reached on an error and later scored on an error by the catcher to make it 3-1. Crawford singled earlier in the inning and scored following two stolen bases and an error by the second baseman to make it 3-2.
West Virginia Wesleyan added an unearned run in the top of the third to make it 4-2. The Bobcats tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth to make it 6-2.
The score remained 6-2 until the bottom of the seventh when Mercy scored a run to make it 6-3. Sisco singled and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. Crawford then singled home Sisco to make it 6-3. A popup ended the inning and the game.
Crawford went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI and Sisco went 2-for-4 with a run. Johnston went 1-for-3 and senior Angelina Oquendo (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) pitched 3.2 innings with five earned runs allowed to take the loss. Freshman Marina Provencio (Saugus, Calif./Saugus) pitched 3.1 scoreless innings of relief.
The Bobcats were led by Morgan Norris who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Kendall Stoffel pitched a complete game with one earned run allowed to earn the win.
Mercy had six hits and four errors and West Virginia Wesleyan had seven hits and four errors.
Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they face Bemidji State at 11:30 a.m. and Franklin Pierce at 2 p.m. in Leesburg, Florida.
