Molloy University Athletics

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Apr. 24, 2016) - Already cemented as the third-place team in the upcoming East Coast Conference Championship Tournament, the Molloy College softball team won two thrilling contests over Saint Thomas Aquinas on Sunday (Apr. 24) as both teams took part in the NFCA "Strike Out Cancer Day" initiative. The maroon and white won a 3-2 contest in the first game of the day before rallying back to win in the last at-bat by a 4-3 score in the season finale. With the wins, Molloy improved to 30-22 on the season (the sixth 30-win season for the Lions in the last seven years) and 19-9 in ECC competition; Saint Thomas Aquinas fell to 15-32 overall and 7-21 in conference play.

Game One: Molloy 3, Saint Thomas Aquinas 2
After starter Chelsea Hawks (Wading River, N.Y.) struck out the side in the top half of the first inning, the Lions climbed on the board first as Milan Botte (Reston, Va.) stroked an RBI single up the middle to score Tracey Balinskas (Edison, N.J.) and put the maroon and white up 1-0. Hawks continued her dominance into the fourth inning, racking up seven strikeouts into the bottom of the fourth inning. Molloy ended up taking a 2-0 lead in the Lions' turn at bat; singles by Sarah Rambo (Eagleville, Pa.) and Ashley Fedor (Monroe, Conn.) led to a run-scoring base hit from junior Erin Clinton (Long Beach, Calif.). Rambo reached on an error in the bottom of the fifth inning on a play that scored Balinskas to give the hosts a three-run lead. Hawks continued to send STAC down without much issue until the seventh inning when freshmen Kelcy Mcgeehan (Bayville, N.J.) and Cyan Scarduzio (Ossining, N.Y.) hit back-to-back home runs down the left field line to bring the Spartans within a run. Freshman pitcher Jenna Turato (Garden City South, N.Y.) came on in relief of Hawks to pick up the save; after yielding a single, Turato sent down the next two batters to ice the victory for the Lions. Botte, Rambo and Clinton combined for six of the team's nine hits in the win while Hawks was brilliantin fanning 11 Spartans over six-and-a-third innings.

Game Two: Molloy 4, Saint Thomas Aquinas 3
Turato started the second game for Molloy, but STAC scored two runs in the first inning and a run in the third off of the freshman hurler to take an early 3-1 lead. The Lions got an early run in the bottom of the first off of an RBI double from Brianna Dalton (Northampton, Pa.) but still trailed through the end of the third inning by a 3-2 score after Botte collected an RBI on a groundout. In the seventh inning, the maroon and white came to bat down by a run before creating magic against Spartans starter Colleen Borum (Mountain Top, Pa.). After Olivia Banulski (Bristol, Conn.) led off the inning with a single, Balinskas dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance her to second base. Botte drew a four-pitch walk before Dalton singled up the middle to score Banulski. Both Botte and Dalton advanced to scoring position on the throw home, meaning the winning run for the Lions was just 60 feet away. With two outs and a 1-2 count, Rambo peppered a Borum offering up the middle to send home Botte and ignite a frenzied celebration for the Lions with a walk-off victory. The sophomore had three hits to lead the maroon and white while Dalton had two base hits for the Lions. Balinskas twirled four scoreless innings in relief with six strikeouts to pick up the victory.

What's Next
At 19-9 in East Coast Conference play, Molloy is locked into the No. 3 seed for the upcoming East Coast Conference Tournament. The Lions will join top-seed and regular season champions NYIT, second-seed LIU Post and fourth-seeded Bridgeport in the postseason chase; the ECC Tournament will take place on Thursday (Apr. 28) through Saturday (Apr. 30). Be sure to check back to www.MolloyLions.com for further information.

Strike Out Cancer Day
As previously mentioned, Molloy and Saint Thomas Aquinas joined together on Sunday for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's "Strike Out Cancer" initiative. The two teams combined for 27 strikeouts in the doubleheader, with donations being collected to help the NFCA in the fight to end cancer. You can still make a donation to help support this great cause, however. Please make all checks payable to: National Foundation for Cancer Research. We thank you for your support and generosity!

Checks can be dropped off to Head Softball Coach Susan Cassidy-Lyke in the Athletics Department in the basement of the Wilbur Arts Center on campus. Donations can also be mailed to:

Molloy College - Athletics Department
Attn: Susan Cassidy-Lyke
1000 Hempstead Avenue
Rockville Centre, N.Y. 11570