Molloy University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Apr. 14, 2016) - A pitcher's duel in the first game and a two-run inning in the second game doomed the Molloy College softball team to a doubleheader loss at No. 22 LIU Post on Thursday (Apr. 14) at LIU Post Softball Complex. With losses of 1-0 and 3-2, the Lions fell to 25-15 overall and 14-6 in ECC play while the Pioneers are 24-17-1 with a conference-best 13-1 mark in the spring campaign.

Game One: LIU Post 1, Molloy 0
What the first game lacked in offense, it more than made up for with a quality effort in the circle by pitchers on both sides of the contest. Juniors Chelsea Hawks (Wading River, N.Y.) and Ashley Martin (Long Beach, N.Y.) tossed dueling zeroes through the first six innings of play, with Molloy being held to just two hits while LIU Post scratched out six hits through the first six frames. In the seventh, Molloy put a runner on base with a two-out base hit but the maroon and white could not bring home the go-ahead run. The Pioneers opened the bottom half of the frame with a leadoff double by Kayla McCoy (Smithtown, N.Y.) but the green and gold quickly made two outs and nearly left the runner stranded on second base. After sophomore center fielder Samantha Marrone (Holbrook, N.Y.) worked a walk, freshman Julia Seader (Piscataway, N.J.) came to bat with runners on first and second. On an 0-1 pitch from Hawks, Seader cranked a fly ball into right field that carried just to the fence and landed on the warning track. McCoy scampered home from second base with the game's only run and the Pio's escaped with the victory.

Game Two: LIU Post 3, Molloy 2
In the second game, LIU Post took advantage of an early scoring situation as senior Paige Swantek (Smithtown, N.Y.) launched a double into right-center field off of starter Tracey Balinskas (Edison, N.J.) which scored Marrone to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead. Balinskas helped out her own cause in the third inning by doubling in Milan Botte (Reston, Va.) to tie the score at one-all and spoil the shutout effort and potential no-hitter from freshman hurler Hannah Olshevski (Robbinsville, N.J.). The score remained even until the fifth inning when Seader came up with a big one-out, run-scoring double to score Leah Mele (Commack, N.Y.) to put the Pioneers ahead by a 2-1 score. Seader later scored on a perfectly hit ground ball by Swantek to the left side of the infield. Molloy had one last shot in the seventh inning, as junior Erin Clinton (Long Beach, Calif.) blooped an RBI single to shallow left field that scored pinch runner Bernadette Mullane (Bellmore, N.Y.). Olshevski, however, settled down to record the final two outs of the game and send the hosts to the doubleheader sweep.

Molloy will host the Purple Knights of the University of Bridgeport on Saturday (Apr. 16) at Bob Klein Field with the first game of a doubleheader set for 12 p.m. It is Senior Day for the Lions, who will be honoring Balinskas, Botte and Samantha Sauer (Plainview, N.Y.) in a pregame ceremony.