BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Apr. 23, 2017) – Junior
Brianna Dalton (Northampton, Pa.) drove in a combined five runs on the way to a sweep of LIU Post in a doubleheader. The Molloy softball team earned a 4-0 shut out over the Pioneers in the first game before the Lions rallied in the seventh to force extra innings, taking a 7-5 victory to complete the sweep. The wins set the softball team at 26-14 on the season and 14-6 in East Coast Conference play, officially securing a spot in the postseason.
Game One: Molloy 4, LIU Post 0
Through the first five innings, both teams were unable to drive a run across the plate, combining for three total hits. Junior
Olivia Banulski (Bristol, Conn.) led off the sixth inning with a doubled to right field. Following a fly out by senior
Erin Clinton (Long Beach, Calif.), the Pioneers chose to give first base to graduate student
Milan Botte (San Diego, Calif.). In a pinch hitting opportunity, freshman
Mikaela Tribby (Boca Raton, Fla.) grounded out, advancing both runners into scoring position.
The Lions broke the scoreless streak in the next at bat, as Dalton drove in her first run of the afternoon with a single through the left side. The maroon and white would score three more runs, fueled by a single from junior
Tiana DeOliveira (Mastic, N.Y.) and a double from senior
Ashley Fedor (Monroe, Conn.) that scored two runs.
Senior pitcher
Chelsea Hawks (Wading River, N.Y.) closed the contest by retiring six of the final seven batters, finishing the afternoon having allowed merely three hits while striking out ten batters.
Offensively, Fedor's two-RBI double led the Lions. Banulski, Botte, Dalton, DeOliveira and Fedor each picked up hits.
Game Two: Molloy 7, LIU Post 5 (Eight Innings)
The Pioneers wasted no time getting on the board in the second contest, with Julia Seader (Piscataway, N.J.) and Abbey Fortin (Langley, British Columbia, Canada) hitting back-to-back home runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead.
Molloy threatened to score in the third inning following a double from Banulski, single from Clinton, and intentional walk to Botte. LIU pitcher Katie Humhej (Surrey, British Columbia, Canada) forced two pop ups to retire the side, leaving the bases loaded without a run coming in.
LIU Post added to their lead on an RBI single from Ashley Melendez (Levittown, N.Y.) in the fifth inning combined with RBIs from both Samantha Marrone (Holbrook, N.Y.) and Seader in the sixth.
The Lions entered the top of the seventh inning needing to score five runs to stay alive. Sophomore
Tara Byrnes (Huntington, N.Y.) drew a pinch hit walk to get things started for Molloy. Singles from Banulski and Clinton loaded the bases for Botte. The designated player drew a walk to put the maroon and white on the board. With the bases still loaded, Dalton sent the ball over the left field fence for a two-out grand slam, tying the game at five. Sophomore pitcher
Jenna Turato (Garden City South, N.Y.) retired the Pioneers in order in the home half of the inning to force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Fedor led off with a double to left field. The third baseman was brought home on an RBI single from junior
Alexandra Russo (Coram, N.Y.) to give Molloy a 6-5 lead. The Lions added an insurance run on a double from Clinton to make it 7-5 headed into the bottom of the eighth.
Following a ground out to the leadoff batter, Claire Travis (East Meadow, N.Y.) singled up the middle for the Pioneers. Turato forced the following two LIU Post batters to ground out, sealing the extra innings victory for the maroon and white, sweeping the regular-season series with the Pioneers.
Dalton led with 4 RBIs; the short stop went 2-for-5 in the game while Clinton and Banulski registered three and four hits, respectively. Botte walked four times. Turato pitched 7.2 innings, striking out three batters while picking up six assists.
The Lions return to action on Tuesday (Apr. 25) as they host Saint Thomas Aquinas College at Bob Klein Field. First-pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. The team will honor its senior members in a pre-game ceremony.
