No. 18 Softball Salvages Split With Molloy
Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Apr. 10, 2014) - The No. 18 LIU Post softball team split a pair of East Coast Conference games with Molloy on Thursday at the LIU Post Softball Complex in Brookville, N.Y. The Pioneers lost the opener, 12-4, before bouncing back in the latter, 6-5.
LIU Post (24-4, 11-1 ECC) started off with the lead on a solo shot by junior catcher
Aly Dzierzynski (Deer Park, N.Y.) in the bottom of the second inning. However, Molloy (14-12, 8-3 ECC) answered with four runs in the top of the third and never relinquished its lead. Milan Botte lifted a three-run homer to left center in the frame.
An RBI double by senior shortstop
Nicole Hagenah (Commack, N.Y.) in the bottom of the third cut the lead to 4-2, but the Lions tacked on five runs in the fourth with another three-run shot, this time off the bat of third baseman Erin Clinton.
Junior left fielder
Catherine Havens (Eastport, N.Y.) added an RBI knock in the fourth, but once again Molloy answered back. Botte collected her second three-run roundtripper of the day in the top of the fifth. The Pioneers were able to get one run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by sophomore third baseman
Maria Palmeri (Middle Village, N.Y.).
Senior
Liz Weber (Brightwaters, N.Y.) tossed three innings, giving up four runs (two earned) on two hits for just her second loss of the season (12-2).
Chelsea Hawks earned the win, hurling three and one-third innings of work.
Dzierzynski led the Pioneers at the plate with a perfect 3-for-3 performance, two runs scored, and an RBI.
Game Two was a tightly contested match-up as both sides brought two runs in during the first inning.
A Pioneer miscue and an RBI base hit by Dayna White allowed the visitors to score early, before senior center fielder
Alexis Gonzalez (Hauppauge, N.Y.) answered with a two-run blast to left center to tie the game.
The Lions added another two runs in the top of the fourth on a two-run dinger by shortstop Nicolette Sinagra, but once again the home squad had an answer as Dzierzynski sent her second four-bagger of the afternoon over the fence in left-center. This time, Hagenah and sophomore designated player
Paige Swantek (Smithtown, N.Y.) were aboard to give LIU Post a 5-4 edge.
Molloy was not done, though, as second baseman Brenda Lee joined in with a solo home run to dead center to knot the score at 5-5.
The Pioneers would not go down without a fight as they responded with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth. A one-out single up the middle by Palmeri started things off. Senior
Jessica Julich (Kings Park, N.Y.) came on to pinch run for Palmeri and advanced to second on a passed ball. Two batters later, junior right fielder
Samantha Miller (East Meadow, N.Y.) drew a walk to give LIU Post first and second with two outs with Havens coming to bat. The Eastport, N.Y. native drilled a line drive to center field on the fifth pitch she saw, bringing around Julich for the game-winner.
Weber earned the win (13-2) as she came in in relief for the sixth inning. Sophomore
Quincy Lewis (Corning, N.Y.) secured her fifth save of the season as she threw a perfect final frame.
Havens and Hagenah each registered two hits for the Pioneers in the nightcap.
The Pioneers will next hit the road for a conference twinbill at Mercy on Saturday (Apr. 12), set to begin at noon in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.