Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 FORT MYERS, Fla. – Freshman outfielder Maddie O'Gryzek (Norfolk, Mass.) went 5-for-8 at the plate and made a home-run robbing catch in center field against Nichols on Saturday, pacing UMass Dartmouth softball in a 5-0 loss versus Geneva and a 7-5 win over the Bison at day two of the Gene Cusic Classic in Florida.
Geneva 6, Corsairs 4
The Corsairs generated two runs in the top of the seventh, cutting the Geneva lead to only two, but couldn't complete the comeback in game one, falling to the Golden Tornadoes 6-4.
Freshman Jill Miller (Acushnet, Mass.) and O'Gryzek led UMass Dartmouth at the plate, with Miller driving in two runs on one hit and O'Gryzek connecting on 2-of-4 appearances. Four additional Corsairs knocked down one hit apiece. Senior ace Shannon Orton (Swansea, Mass.) took the loss in the circle on a solid performance, pitching six frames to allow nine hits and three earned runs while striking out six.
Offensive action began in the second, as both teams put multiple runs on the board. To start off the inning, Orton got on base via walk, advancing on a single by junior Marissa Spinuzzi (Fair Lawn, N.J.) and scoring off the bat of senior Rachel Carey (Holbrook, Mass.). The next batter, freshman Briana Flaherty (Franklin, Mass.), blasted an RBI double to score Spinuzzi and give the Corsairs an early 2-0 lead.
Geneva responded immediately, connecting for four hits in the bottom of the frame. Senior Taylor Yarletts (New Castle, Pa.) and freshman Ashley Grow (Beaver, Ohio) each registered RBI singles as the Golden Tornadoes exited the second inning in control by a 3-2 margin.
Neither team could cross the plate in the next two innings, until the Golden Tornadoes tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. The first four batters reached base, with Grow driving in the frame's only RBI on a ground-out to second base.
In the final inning, the Corsairs put up a fight, sparked by a double to right field by sophomore Emily Colton (Kingston, Mass.) with two outs. After O'Gryzek reached base on an error and stole second, Miller smashed home her two RBI on a double to left field. The comeback wouldn't be, though, as Orton popped up to close the contest.
In the circle for Geneva, freshman Emily Keslar (Mt. Pleasant, Pa.) picked up her fifth win of the season, tossing all seven innings while allowing eight hits, two earned runs and recording a strikeout. Grow led the Golden Tornadoes with her two RBI and sophomore Laura Innocenzi (Cortland, Ohio) went 2-of-3 at the plate.
Corsairs 7, Nichols 5
O'Gryzek made a spectacular catch in the bottom of the seventh inning, robbing the would-be tying home run from junior Meghan Sears (Tewksbury, Mass.) with two outs, closing the door on Nichols in a comeback victory for the Corsairs.
After trailing 4-1 entering the fourth inning, sophomore Hannah Smith (Attleboro, Mass.) forced a three-up, three-down from Nichols in the bottom of the frame to carry the UMass Dartmouth bats into the fifth inning. The top of the order took to the plate, with consecutive hits from O'Gryzek, Miller and Orton accounting for two RBI.
Junior Gracie Trudeau (New Bedford, Mass.) then connected for a two-run double to center, sending home Orton and pinch runner Rachelle Bator (Farmington, Maine). A Carey single scored Trudeau before the Bison could pick up the last two outs. The five-hit, five-run frame gave the Corsairs a 6-5 lead.
Orton took the circle in relief, forcing another three-and-out to close the fifth. In the sixth, Nichols loaded the bases twice, but the Corsairs kept the ball in the infield, picking up two-straight force outs at home on the gloves of third base Adi Alicea-Cordero (Dorchester, Mass.) and Orton.
Spinuzzi singled and eventually scored on a throwing error in the top of the sixth, increasing the UMass Dartmouth margin to 7-5. With Bison junior Christina Drake (Lebanon, N.H.) on second, Sears came to bat with two down. She blasted the deepest hit of the game to dead center, but O'Gryzek tracked back, snagging the ball over the top of the fence, knocking it down in the process to give the Corsairs the win.
Smith was credited with the victory, striking out seven while allowing seven hits and three earned runs in four frames of work. In three innings of relief, Orton fanned one batter, allowing only two hits and no runs.
O'Gryzek went 3-for-4 in her plate appearances on the game. Orton and Trudeau each went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI on the game as Carey and Miller drove in a run apiece. Sears finished 2-for-4 with an RBI for the Bison and took the loss in the circle striking out five with the Corsairs collecting seven hits.
UMass Dartmouth will meet Pitt.-Bradford tomorrow at 9 a.m. and Augsburg at 11 a.m., with both games scheduled at the North Collier Regional Park in Naples, Fla.
