PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Powered by a team-high three RBI from junior Averi Miller (Las Vegas, Nev./Arbor View) and a team-high six hits and a home run from junior Allison Murphy (Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland) on the day, the Mercy University Softball Team dropped a 5-3 decision at Pace University before earning an 11-2 win in the nightcap on Tuesday afternoon.
The Mavericks (12-10) have won four of their last five games and defeat the defending East Region Champion Setters (13-15) for the first time since 2019.
Game 1: Pace 5, Mercy 3
Pace scored a run in the second inning on one hit to take a 1-0 lead.
Mercy tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning. Murphy hit a solo home run to center field with two outs to tie the game. The Setters scored four runs in the bottom of the third to take a 5-1 lead.
The Mavericks scored a run in the fourth inning to make it 5-2. Freshman Madelyn Perrone (Ballston Spa, N.Y./Ballston Spa) led off the inning with a double and scored on a senior Elizabeth Stark (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) RBI single.
Mercy scored a run in the top of the seventh to make it 5-3. Murphy doubled with one out and later scored on a junior Julianna Coluccio (Sicklerville, N.J./Timber Creek Regional) RBI single. A popup to shortstop ended the game, giving Pace the game-one win.
Mercy was led by Murphy who went 3-for-4 with her second home run of the season and one RBI. Stark went 3-for-3 with an RBI and Coluccio went 1-for-4 with an RBI. Miller went 2-for-4 and Perrone went 2-for-4. Sophomore Mikaela Mammola (Pawling, N.Y./Pawling) went 2-for-3 and freshman Mya Marelli (Riverhead, N.Y./Riverhead) allowed four earned runs in 2.1 innings to take the loss. Senior Mackayla Secoda (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts.
Pace was led by Madison Picerno who went 1-for-2 with two RBI. Alyssa Smart pitched 4.0 innings with two runs allowed to earn the win. Nikki Chandler pitched the final 3.0 innings to record the save.
Mercy had 13 hits and one error and Pace had seven hits and no errors.
Game 2: Mercy 11, Pace 2 (6 Innings)
Mercy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Freshman Makayla Rady (Wharton, N.J./Morris Knolls) walked and sophomore Kayla Zimmerman (Brookfield, Conn./American International College) reached on a fielder's choice before sophomore Alexis Lemus (Chino, Calif./South Hills) singled home Rady to make it 1-0.
The Mavericks exploded for six runs in the fourth inning to take a 7-0 lead. Sophomore Jessica Fox (Rockaway, N.J./Morris Knolls) singled, Zimmerman walked and Lemus singled to load the bases. Junior Dylan Reyer (Baldwin, N.Y./Baldwin) then singled up the middle, scoring Fox to make it 2-0. Murphy then singled home Zimmerman to make it 3-0 and Miller singled home Lemus and Reyer to put Mercy up, 5-0. After Perrone walked to load the bases again, Stark hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Murphy to make it 6-0. Fox then reached on an error, allowing Miller to score to make it 7-0.
Pace scored two runs in the fifth inning on a Riley Jenkins two-run double to make it 7-2.
Mercy tacked on four more runs in the sixth inning to take an 11-2 lead. Murphy led off the inning with a triple and scored on a Miller single to make it 8-2. Miller stole second before Perrone singled to put runners on first and third. After two popups made two outs in the inning, Rady hit a two-run double to left field, scoring Miller and Perrone to make it 10-2. Zimmerman later singled home Rady to give Mercy an 11-2 lead.
Freshman Juliana Abbene (Massapequa, N.Y./Farmingdale) held Pace scoreless in the bottom of the sixth to give Mercy the 11-2 win in six innings via the run-rule.
Mercy was led by Miller who went 3-for-4 with three RBI and by Murphy who went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Rady went 1-for-3 with a career-high two RBI and Fox went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Reyer went 1-for-4 with an RBI and Perrone went 1-for-3. Zimmerman went 1-for-3 with her first collegiate hit and RBI and Lemus went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Abbene pitched a complete game with six strikeouts to earn her fourth win of the season.
Pace was led by Jenkins who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Priscilla Del Toro allowed six earned runs in 3.1 innings to take the loss.
Mercy had 14 hits and no errors and Pace had seven hits and one error.
Head Coach Jaime Lorenzo and the Mavericks resume action tomorrow when they play at Caldwell at 2:30 p.m.
