OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – In the final Battle of the Boulevard series, the LIU Post softball team survived a scare from the Bears in the day's opener before rolling to an 11-run win in game two. LIU Post clinches the East Coast Conference regular season championship with the win and will host the ECC Tournament next week at the LIU Softball Complex.
The Pioneers reached the 40-win plateau for the ninth time in program history, moving into the top-10 in single-season victories. The sweep also extended LIU Post's current win streak in the Northern Boulevard rivalry to six games.
It was a huge day for senior
Julia Seader. After being named one of the 25 finalists for the Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II National Player of the Year, Seader drove in nine runs. After tallying four RBIs in game one, Seader hit a grand slam and a solo home run for a career-high five RBIs in game two. With a double during the opener, Seader also became the new LIU Post program leader in career doubles with 57, surpassing Christie Softy's mark of 56 set in 2010.
Junior
Megan Sneeden finished 5-for-6 at the plate, hitting one home run and added two doubles. All Pioneer starters recorded at least one hit, with sophomore
Hanna Finkelstein collecting three hits and junior
Allie Laird and sophomore
Patricia Dun added two hits.
Senior
Hannah Olshevski allowed just one run on two hits while striking out four batters. Junior
Katie Humhej scattered nine hits and also struck out four batters to earn her 21st victory of the season.
Game One: LIU Post 7, NYIT 4 (8 Inn.)
The Pioneers trailed NYIT 3-0 heading into the top of the sixth inning. Seader got LIU Post on the scoreboard to lead off the inning, belting her first home run of the day to left field to cut the deficit to two runs. The Green and Gold were retired in order from there and headed into its final at-bat trailing 3-1.
Sneeden led off the seventh with a double to the base of the fence in left field. Freshman
Jayna Rios followed with a single to center field and head coach
Jamie Apicella elected to send senior
Ashley Melendez to the plate as a pinch hitter. Melendez worked the count to 2-2 before ripping a two-run double to right-center field to pull LIU Post even with NYIT at 3-3. Junior
Allie Laird reached on a bunt single and Seader drove in the go-ahead run to give the Pioneers a one-run lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
NYIT fought back and tied the game with two outs during the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings. It was all LIU Post from there, as Sneeden led off the first extra frame with a single and advanced to third on an NYIT error on a sacrifice bunt. Dun drove in the go-ahead run with a groundout and Seader roped her record-breaking double to left-center field to give LIU Post a 7-4 lead and Humhej retired the side in order to give LIU Post the come-from-behind win.
Game Two: LIU Post 12, NYIT 1 (5 Inn.)
Having scored seven runs during their final three at-bats of game one, the Pioneers continued to roll to begin game two. LIU Post sent 13 batters to the plate during the top of the first inning, plating nine runs to take full control of the game. Sneeden lifted a two-run home run to left-center field and Seader launched a grand slam to straight-away center field during the huge inning.
Seader ripped another monster home run down the right-field line during the third inning and junior
Abbey Fortin doubled to right-center field to score two more runs and Olshevski took care of the rest with a dominating performance in the circle.
The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, April 27 when they honor five graduating seniors as part of a two-game set with Molloy College at 12:00 p.m.