LAKEWOOD, N.J. (Mar. 17, 2024) – Despite a home run from senior Shannon Sisco (Cicero, N.Y./Mansfield University) in game two and a team-high three RBI on the day from graduate student Nicole Smart (Santa Clarita, Calif./Golden Valley), the Mercy University softball team dropped 6-5 and 9-5 decisions to Georgian Court University on Sunday afternoon.
The Mavericks (2-8) have dropped four games in a row, while the Lions (9-9) improved to .500 on the year.
Game 1: Georgian Court 6, Mercy 5
The Lions scored a run in the bottom of the first and two runs in the third inning to take a 3-0 lead. Mercy bounced back with two runs in the fourth inning to make it 3-2. Smart led off the inning with a hit by pitch and later scored on a sophomore Daedra VanLuvanee (Walnutport, Pa./Northampton Area) RBI double to make it 3-1. Senior Mia Harris (West Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) then singled home VanLuvanee to make it 3-2.
The Mavericks scored two runs in the fifth inning to take a 4-3 lead. Freshman Allison Murphy (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) singled to lead off the inning and later scored on a Smart RBI double to make it 3-3. Graduate student Samantha Franck (La Habra Heights, Calif./La Habra) then singled home freshman Averi Miller (Las Vegas, Nev./Arbor View) to give Mercy a 4-3 lead.
Mercy scored another run in the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead. Sisco singled with one out and later scored on a freshman Dylan Reyer (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) RBI groundout to make it 5-3.
The Lions tied the game at 5-5 with two runs in the sixth inning and earned the walk-off win in the seventh inning on a Gabriella Aleman RBI single.
Mercy was led by Murphy who went 3-for-4 with a run and by Smart, Reyer and Harris who all went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Franck and VanLuvanee both went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Sisco went 1-for-3 with a run. Sophomore Elizabeth Stark (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) went 1-for-4 and graduate student Alexi Benson (Spotsylvania, Va./Riverbend) allowed three runs in four innings to earn a no-decision. Sophomore Mackayla Secoda (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) pitched 2.2 innings with two earned runs allowed to take the loss.
Georgian Court was led by Jadalynn Rodriguez who went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Kahlen Cornell pitched two innings to earn the win.
Mercy had 10 hits and two errors and Georgian Court had 11 hits and no errors.
Game 2: Georgian Court 9, Mercy 5
Mercy took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Murphy and Reyer singled to lead off the game and both would score on a Smart RBI single to make it 2-0. Georgian Court scored three runs in the bottom of the first to take a 3-2 lead.
The Lions added four runs in the second and one in the third to take an 8-2 lead. Mercy scored a run in the fourth inning to make it 8-3. Sisco singled to lead off the inning and scored after Miller reached on an error by the first baseman.
Mercy added two more runs in the fifth inning to make it 8-5. Junior Maddie Lula (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Sisco smacked her first career home run to center field making it 8-5.
The Lions scored their final run in the sixth inning to make it 9-5. Mercy went down in order in the seventh inning, giving Georgian Court the doubleheader sweep.
Mercy was led by Sisco who went 2-for-3 with her first career home run and two RBI. Smart went 2-for-4 with two RBI and freshman Julianna Coluccio (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Regional) and Murphy went 1-for-3. Reyer and Miller both went 1-for-4 and graduate student Angelina Oquendo (Middle Island, N.Y./Longwood) allowed seven earned runs in six innings to take the loss.
Georgian Court was led by Kaitlyn Stufft who went 2-for-2 with a home run and two RBI. Janelle Blaszka pitched four innings to earn the win.
Mercy had eight hits and four errors and Georgian Court had 12 hits and two errors.
Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo and the Mavericks resume action on Wednesday, March 20th when they play at Southern Connecticut State at 3 p.m.
