AUBURNDALE, Fla. – It was an all-around effort on Friday as the UMass Dartmouth softball team defeated Penn State Behrend, 3-0 and Aurora University, 8-1 behind outstanding hitting and pitching in the final games of their Florida trip. The Corsairs return to the Northeast with a 7-3 overall record.
After a quiet start to the game, the Corsairs got on the board in the bottom of the second. With two outs on the board, junior first baseman
Hailey Lyons singles, quickly coming around as
Sydney Menz cracked a double to bring her home on the next play for the 1-0 lead.
The two teams kept things close, neither able to solve the pitching duel until the bottom of the fifth as the Corsairs brought two runs across. The play was set up as Lyons singled once again.
Sophomore outfielder
Sadie Keefe came in to pinch run, advancing to second as rookie outfielder
Sydney Menz was walked. Sophomore infielder
Madi Razzino stepped up to pinch hit, reaching on a fielder's choice as the pitcher made the throw to third to get Keefe out. The ball caromed away from the third baseman, allowing Keefe to score as runners were now at the corners.
Senior outfielder
Victoria Rossetti – whom Razzino pinch hit for – came back in to run at first as rookie third baseman
RaeLynn Perregaux stepped up. On a passed ball, Menz made her way to home to make it 3-0, but Rossetti was tagged out attempting to advance to third.
Solid pitching from graduate student
Jill Richards saw the home team shut down the Lions the rest of the way, the final out coming on Richards' ninth strikeout of the game.
Lyons was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with a run scored. Menz went 1-for-1 with a run scored, while Keefe also had a run scored. Richards improved to 3-2 on the season, going the distance with 7.0 innings pitched. She surrendered just one hit, walking just three batters, in addition to her nine strikeouts.
Penn State Behrend was paced by junior infielder Emi Curcio with the Lions only hit of the game in the top of the first. In the circle, rookie hurler Kaitlyn Ezzone shouldered the loss, allowing three runs on five hits over 6.0 innings pitched. She struck out three batters, while walking one.
Game two saw the Corsairs jump out to the early lead with a runner on, sophomore infielder
Larissa Piessens singled up the middle, followed by a ground out from grad student
Lindsay Chubbuck which ended up scoring Perregaux from third for the 1-0 margin.
Aurora tied the game in the bottom of the second as a long fly ball to center allowed the runner to score. The Corsairs pulled ahead in the top of the fifth as Perregaux homered to left and the visitors pushed the margin to 3-1 in the sixth as Lyons singled with two on to drive in a run.
In the top of the seventh, the Corsairs broke it wide open as Piessens reached on a fielder's choice with two on to bring Perregaux across the plate. With bases loaded, junior catcher
Dyonna Rodas cracked a grand slam, clearing the bases to give UMD the 8-1 lead. Junior hurler
Kaitlyn Shirshac shut down the side, closing out the contest as she went the distance for her third win of the season.
Perregaux finished 2-for-4 on the day with three runs scored and an RBI. Rodas was 1-for-3 with a run scored and four RBI, while Piessens was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Shirshac allowed just one run on four hits over 7.0 innings in the circle.
For the Spartans, sophomore hurler Madelyn Buske allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits over 5.1 innings. She struck out five and walked none. Classmate Rylee Campbell finished the game, going 1.2 innings with five runs allowed on three hits.
The Corsairs return to action on Thursday, hosting Johnson & Wales for a doubleheader at 3pm.
