Sparkill, N.Y. – The third-seeded Molloy softball team rallied to win two elimination games, defeating the fourth-seeded Mercy Mavericks, 4-1, and top-seeded STAC, 4-1, Friday afternoon at Spartan Field. The two wins advance the Lions to the ECC title game, where they will meet the second-seeded Bridgeport Purple Knights.
 
Game One: Molloy 4, Mercy 1

• The game began with two innings of scoreless softball, graduate student Courtney Greene and Mercy starting pitcher Alexi Benson allowed two hits combined to start the contest.
• Molloy looked to crack the scoreboard in the top of the third, senior Alex Burns led off with a double and was moved to third by Greene to tally one out in the inning. Senior Amanda King stepped in and flew out to right field, Burns tagged from third, but was thrown out at the plate keeping the game scoreless after three innings of play.
• The Lions were able to load the bases in the following inning, but the Mavericks held them off from scoring, to keep the contest scoreless.
• Mercy broke through in the fifth with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead.
• The maroon and white looked to answer in the following half inning, loading the bases for the second time, but the stingy pitching of Benson and the Maverick defense held the Lions off the scoreboard.
• Down one with one out in the top of the seventh, King stepped up and blasted a home run over the center field fence to tie the game, 1-1.
• Junior Karsyn Eaton stepped up next and ripped a double to left field and put the go ahead run 120 feet away, freshman Natalie Moussa followed with a go-ahead RBI double to score Eaton pushing Molloy ahead, 2-1.
• Junior Akemi Poyer singled home Moussa, and senior Marissa Nicoletti scored off an error on the play to propel the Lions in front, 4-1.
• Greene held the Mavericks scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, to clinch the win, 4-1.
• Greene pitched a complete game giving up eight hits, one run, and two strikeouts. 

Game Two: Molloy 4, STAC 1

• Pitching dominated the early stages of the game, as King and STAC starter Carissa Della Vecchia matched one another pitch for pitch.
• STAC threatened to score in the bottom of the fourth, with a pair of runners on base. King induced a pop fly that she exploded out of the circle to dive and catch in foul territory to keep the game scoreless after four innings of action.
• The game remained without a score heading into the top of the sixth, Moussa hit a ground-rule double that scored Greene, freshman Cheralyn Dusharme single into left that brought home King and Moussa to put Molloy in front, 3-0.
• STAC cut the lead the lead to two, 3-1, in the bottom of the frame following an RBI single.
• The Lions added a key insurance run in the top of the seventh, Burns scored off a wild pitch to reestablish the three-run lead, 4-1.
• King finished off the game in the seventh, with the maroon and white advancing to the ECC final with a 4-1 victory.
• King went a complete game, seven innings, four hits, one run, and one strikeout.

Up Next
The third-seeded Lions will need to win a pair of games tomorrow, May 6 where they will play the second-seeded Bridgeport Purple Knights ECC Final. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m.