Softball Drops Two In ECC Championship
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Box Score 2
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (May 4, 2013) – Molloy College swept a pair of elimination games over the LIU Post softball team to claim the 2013 ECC Championship. The Pioneers fell by the score of 4-1 in both contests.
With the sweep, Molloy improves to 47-12. LIU Post falls to 46-13.
In the first game, Molloy pushed across the first run of the game in the bottom of the third. Junior shortstop Nicolette Sinagra singled up the middle, and senior pitcher
Megan Butterworth came around to score from second on a Pioneer throwing error. The Lions tacked on three more runs in the fourth after getting five consecutive one-out hits capped off by a Butterworth double to left center that plated freshman first baseman Victoria Gunnels.
Butterworth held the Pioneers' offense in check until the top of the seventh. Sophomore catcher
Aly Dzierzynski (Deer Park, N.Y.) led off the inning with a single through the left side, and
Jessica Julich (Kings Park, N.Y.) came on to pinch run for her. Four batters later sophomore right fielder
Samantha Miller (East Meadow, N.Y.) came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Miller hit a ball into shallow center field that initially dropped for a hit but Molloy's center fielder Jeana Frey came up firing and gunned out the runner advancing to third while Julich crossed the plate for the Pioneers' only run. Butterworth retired the final Pioneer to end the threat and secure the win.
Butterworth improved to 24-5 on the season with the win, tossing a complete game five-hitter with one walk and eight strikeouts.
Game two was a pitchers' duel through the first four innings with neither team able to cross the plate until Molloy pushed across a run in the top of the fifth.
Junior right fielder Lauren Alexander led off the inning with a slow ground ball to the shortstop
Nicole Hagenah (Commack, N.Y.) who charged it and threw the ball on the run passed the outstretched Dzierzynski allowing Alexander to advance to second with no outs. With one out and Frey at the plate, Alexander stole third and a Pioneer miscue on the throw down to third allowed Alexander to race home.
The Pioneers answered right back in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out blast into the left field bleachers by freshman catcher
Paige Swantek (Smithtown, N.Y.)
Molloy fired back with three runs in the top of the sixth with a two-run home run off the bat of Gunnels and an RBI single from Sinagra.
The Pioneers threatened in the bottom of the sixth, loading the bases with one out, but Molloy's Kelley Jansen retired the next two Pioneer batters to stifle the threat.
Jansen recorded her 21
st win of the season tossing a complete game two-hitter while walking three and fanning 11.
The Pioneers will wait to find out selections for the upcoming NCAA East Region Tournament that is set to begin Friday, May 10.