Setters earn 4-3 victory in game one, launch five homers in game two for a 15-7 win
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| Sophomore Lindsay McKillop knocked in two runs for the Skyhawks in game two. |
BRIARCLIFF, N.Y. (March 31, 2012) – Pace University picked up a pair of wins over Stonehill College in Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) softball doubleheader action at Pace Field this evening. The Setters took game one, 4-3, and earned a 15-7 victory in game two.
Pace 4, Stonehill 3
Freshman Caitlin McCann (San Mateo, CA/Notre Dame) improved to 6-2 overall on four-and-two-thirds innings pitched, six hits, two runs (one earned), one walk and one strikeout. Junior Chelsea Shea (Babylon, NY/West Babylon) notched her second save closing out the final two-and-one-thirds innings giving up two hits, one run (earned) and one walk.
Sophomore Lindsay McKillop (East Meadow, N.Y./East Meadow) was handed the loss for the Skyhawks in six innings of work, yielding seven hits and four runs (two earned) alongside a pair of walks and four strikeouts.
Pace took a 2-0 lead in the bottom half of the first inning as freshman catcher Hana Wright (Hillsboro, OR/Valley Catholic) lifted a two-run home run to right centerfield.
Stonehill cut the deficit in half, 2-1, in the top of third inning on a Courtney Marchand (Raymond, N.H./Timberlane Regional) run-producing single to centerfield plating Brianna Gunter (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) from third base.
Wright answered for the Setters in the bottom half of the frame with a RBI double to left field scoring sophomore second baseman Lana Buchbinder (San Francisco, CA/George Washington) who singled to left field to leadoff the inning.
In the fourth inning, Gunter made it a 3-2 score on a RBI single up the middle driving home sophomore third baseman Jocelynne Morrell (West Haven, Conn./West Haven).
A run-producing single from freshman designated player Natalie Gellos (Seattle, WA/Holy Names Academy) in the fifth inning gave Pace University a 4-2 cushion headed into the final two frames.
Stonehill put together a rally in the top of the seventh inning as junior first baseman Nicole Eisenmann (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) brought in a run on a groundout to short but Shea stranded the tying run at third base with a fly out to left field to secure the win.
Pace 15, Stonehill 7
Junior Colby Hochmuth (Delanson, NY/Duanesburg) earned the win in relief (4-0) on three innings pitched, five hits, three runs (two earned) and two walks. Classmate Kelly Fisher (Castle Rock, CO/Douglas County) was handed the no-decision pitching three innings, giving up five hits, four runs (two earned), one walk and two strikeouts.
Senior Samantha Krantz (Hampton Bays, N.Y./Hampton Bays) suffered the loss in relief throwing four innings, allowing seven hits, five runs (three earned), one walk and three strikeouts. Skyhawks starter Kellie Reardon (Burlington, Mass./Arlington Catholic) recorded two outs, giving up five hits, four runs (all earned) and one walk.
Senior Lauren Bell (New Windsor, NY/Newburgh Free Academy), freshman Jeane Drury (Flanders, NJ/Morris Catholic High School), Wright and Buchbinder (twice) all homered to lead the Setters offensively.
Bell connected for a two-run shot in the first inning along with Wright who launched a solo homer in Pace's four-run frame. Buchbinder struck for a two-run round-tripper in the third inning, Drury plated two runs with her shot in the fourth and Buchbinder smacked a grandslam in the sixth.
Stonehill tied up the contest at 4-4 in the top of the third inning as Marchand ripped a RBI single to left field driving in sophomore second baseman Christine Swider (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) to make it a 4-2 deficit. Marchand and senior shortstop Chelsea Stryker (Norton, Mass./Norton) eventually came around to score on a fielding error to even up the contest.
Pace responded with three runs in the bottom half on a Rachel McMahon (Corona, CA/Esperanza) RBI double to right centerfield and the first of Buchbinder's two home runs to claim a 7-4 advantage.
The Setters put the game away with Drury's two-run shot in the fourth, followed by her RBI single in the sixth along with Buchbinder's grandslam and a run-producing single from Bell to left field.
Eisenmann, who went 0-for-3 in the nightcap, saw her hitting streak end at 13 games in the doubleheader loss. Marchand and McKillop fueled the offense in game as both hitters drove in two runs on two hits apiece.
Stonehill (13-5, 6-4 NE-10) returns to action on Sunday, April 1 as the Skyhawks travel to Adelphi University for a NE-10 doubleheader with game one scheduled for noon. Pace (19-5, 7-3 NE-10) hosts Bentley University tomorrow in doubleheader action beginning at noon.
