Softball Sweeps Doubleheader from Mercy; 3-2, 4-3, Apicella Wins 400th Game
Box Score Game One
Box Score Game Two
BROOKVILLE, N .Y. (March 24, 2009) – The softball team swept Mercy College by scores of 3-2 and 4-3 in their East Coast Conference opening doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon behind strong pitching efforts and timely hitting.
The two wins also give head coach
Jamie Apicella his 400th career win. Apicella, in his 11th season, has a career record of 400-157.
C.W. Post improves to 9-7 and 2-0 in the ECC, while Mercy slips to 6-7 and 0-4 in conference play.
The Mavericks took an early lead in game one as they got to Pioneer starter
Christina Berardi (Raynham, Mass.) early, with Chelsea Methot and Brittany Stockert roping back-to-back doubles to plate two runs in the first.
The Pioneers tied the game in the third as
Melissa Medina (Levittown, N.Y.) singled and
Kerry Fisher (Barto, Pa.) walked, and both scored on
Christie Softy's (Floral Park, N.Y.) two-out double to right center.
The Pioneers took the lead for good in the sixth as
Amanda Aiello's (Charlton, Mass.) bases-loaded single up the middle scored Softy for the 3-2 lead.
Morgan Bell (Branchville, N.J.) pitched well in relief as she earned the win with 3.0 innings pitched, working out of a giving up only two hits and no runs while striking out three. She worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth to keep the game tied at two.
Sarah Kiser (Cooper City, Fla.) earned the save with one inning of no-hit shutout relief.
Medina led the Pioneers with two hits in the game.
The second game saw the Pioneers comeback twice to tie the score and finally earn the win with a walkoff single in the eighth by
Megan Correia (Seekonk, Mass.)
Paige Cauley gave the Mavericks a 1-0 lead in the third with a home run to right center. The Pioneers answered right back in their half of the inning as Medina scored on a passed ball, and took a lead in the fourth as a
Kendall Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) double dropped into left center, scoring pinch runner
Lindsey Trotto (Princeton, Mass.).
But Mercy came back in the fifth as they scored two runs on two consecutive infield errors by the Pioneers to take a 3-2 lead. Again the Pioneers answered with a run as Softy's RBI double to right center scored Medina to tie the game at 3-3.
The teams traded scoreless innings until the eighth, when
Katie Fisher (Barto, Pa.) roped a two-out double to right field and scored on Correia's walk-off single to center.
Kiser earned her third win of the season with 8.0 innings of work, scattering nine hits and allowing only one earned run, striking out eight while not issuing a walk. Marchese had two hits in the game to lead the Pioneers offensively.
The Pioneers are in action next on March 26, as they travel to Southern Connecticut State University for a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader.