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Box Score 2 ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Mar. 18, 2016) - Two stalwarts took to the pitcher's circle for the Molloy College softball team on Friday (Mar. 18); both delivered dominating performances as the Lions earned a doubleheader sweep of Philadelphia University in Rockville Centre, winning games by scores of 5-1 and 4-0 at Bob Klein Field.
Game One: Molloy 5, Philadelphia 1All six runs were scored in the first inning against both starting pitchers, but Molloy's offense batted around in the opening frame to plate five runs. After Philadelphia took a 1-0 lead on an RBI double by Gianna Bliss (Phoenixville, Pa.), the Lions banged out seven hits in the bottom of the first off of starter Nicole Troisi (Norristown, Pa.). After hits by both
Olivia Banulski (Bristol, Conn.) and
Tracey Balinskas (Edison, N.J.), fellow member of the Molloy 'Killer B's'
Milan Botte (Reston, Va.) drove both in with a single to right field that gave the maroon and white a 2-1 lead. Botte's base-knock was the first of five straight two-out hits for Molloy off of Troisi. Singles by both
Alexandra Russo (Coram, N.Y.) and
Sarah Rambo (Eagleville, Pa.) loaded the bases for eighth-place hitter
Erin Clinton (Long Beach, Calif.) who delivered a two-run double into the left-center field gap. Freshman outfielder
Kaitlyn Snyder (Smithtown, N.Y.) drove in the final run of the inning with a run-scoring single as Molloy closed its scoring account for the first game.
The five-run spurt was all that junior
Chelsea Hawks (Wading River, N.Y.) needed, as the pitcher scattered seven hits over six innings while striking out five batters to earn the win. Senior
Samantha Sauer (Plainview, N.Y.) pitched an effective inning of work, dazzling and baffling the Rams with control and changes in speed to strike two batters out in the seventh inning to lock up the victory. Both Clinton and Balinskas had two hits for Molloy, which collected a nine-hit game as a team.
Game Two: Molloy 4, Philadelphia 0The Lions would once again jump on the board in the first inning, but this time the damage against Philadelphia was limited to one run. Starting pitcher Stephanie Pepper (Toms River, N.J.) got into trouble early as Banulski and Balinskas again got aboard and into scoring position. A wild offering from Pepper allowed Banulski to score from third to put the maroon and white ahead early in the contest. Molloy doubled its lead in the third as junior infielder
Ashley Fedor (Monroe, Conn.) crushed a 1-0 offering from Pepper over the left-field fence for a solo home run. The 2-0 lead lasted an inning, as the Lions scratched two runs across in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Russo and a bases-loaded walk issued to Snyder.
The four runs represented part of the story, as freshman pitcher
Jenna Turato (Garden City South, N.Y.) threw a spectacular complete-game, three-hit shutout in the circle. She struck out three batters and was helped out by several great plays from the defense, including a couple of nifty gloves from shortstop
Brianna Dalton (Northampton, Pa.). The contest ended when Turato induced Renee Kakareka (Schaumsburg, Ill.) to bunt a pop-up that was caught by a hard-charging Botte from first base; Botte was able to double off pinch runner Mariah Hans (Barrington, N.J.) at the bag to end the game.
The Lions are next in action on Saturday (Mar. 19) when the team heads to Flushing to play the defending East Coast Conference champion Knights of Queens College at 12 p.m.
