ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Mar. 28, 2016) - Through eight conference games, the Molloy College softball team is proving itself capable of maintaining a hold on one of the top spots in the ECC standings. The Lions, at 6-2 in East Coast Conference play, are one of three teams with a winning percentage of .750 or better against conference foes. The maroon and white will look to continue its excellent start to conference play on Wednesday (Mar. 30) when the team heads up I-95 to face the Purple Knights of Bridgeport.
About the Lions- Molloy has split its last four contests, going 2-2 against NYIT and Mercy over the past several days. That said, the Lions are doing a number on opposing pitchers when the games count towards conference standings. Specifically, junior
Milan Botte (Reston, Va.) is hitting .409 in seven ECC games played and sophomore
Brianna Dalton (Northampton, Pa.) has a team-high 10 hits to go along with a .385 average against conference opponents.
- Dalton is hitting .316 on the season and is currently sporting an eight-game hitting streak; the sophomore shortstop has reached base safely in nine straight contests, dating back to Mar. 19 and a win over Philadelphia. Meanwhile,
Alexandra Russo (Coram, N.Y.) had a five-RBI game against NYIT back on Mar. 24 which was one shy of tying the single-game record for most runs batted in by a Lion.
- The pitching has proven to be consistent and solid for the maroon and white so far this season. Freshman
Jenna Turato (Garden City South, N.Y.) is 3-1 with a team-low 2.13 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 29/9. Meanwhile, junior
Chelsea Hawks (Wading River, N.Y.) has a conference-best seven victories and 82 strikeouts in 2016. One thing to keep an eye on for, however, is the number of home runs surrendered by the Lions' pitchers. At 17 home runs through 26 games, the Lions are allowing the most round-trippers in the ECC thus far.
Concerning the Purple Knights -Back on Mar. 17, Bridgeport sported a record of five wins and seven losses after a 2-0 win over Saint Michael's College down in Clermont, Fla. Since that time, however, the Purple Knights have lost eight straight games including six consecutive conference match-ups. To make matters worse for UB, the offense has seemingly gone into a deep hibernation; Bridgeport has scored just eight runs over its last eight games while the opposition has tagged the Purple Knights for 44 runs in the same span.
- Junior pitcher Kaitlyn Lajoie (Vernon, Conn.) has got to feel a little like Shelby Miller felt at the end of the 2015 season. For reference, Miller won just six games with the Atlanta Braves as a starter but had a solid earned-run average of 3.02 over the year. Lajoie is 2-5 for Bridgeport in 2016 with a 2.56 ERA, as the junior has allowed just 16 earned runs in 43 and 2/3 innings pitched.
- Freshman outfielder Jenna DiLorenzo (Woodbridge, Conn.) has been a bright spot for the Purple Knights this season. She leads the team with a .333 average, 16 hits, two home runs and a .929 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). DiLorenzo has also driven in eight runs so far this season.
