WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (April 10, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team dropped two 8-0 games to Empire 8 foe St. John Fisher College Saturday afternoon at the Weehawken Waterfront. Both games were close early, but the Cardinals (12-10) outscored the Ducks (5-15) by a margin of 13-0 after the third inning over the two games.
In the first inning of game one, Stevens starter Amanda Petrocelli walked Samantha Vara (Boston, N.Y.) to open the frame, and Megan Zoerb (Painted Post, N.Y.) laid down a textbook sacrifice bunt to advance her to scoring position. But Petrocelli got Fisher's no. 3 and 4 hitters to fly out to Maggie Weigel in left field to end the Fisher first. Stevens went down in order in the home half of the inning.
Petrocelli set down nine in a row after allowing the leadoff walk in the first, and Fisher starter Danielle Leone (Manchester, Conn.) was perfect through the first two innings in what started out as a tight pitcher's duel.
Stevens threatened in the third when Maggie Weigel lead off the inning with a single over the secondbaseman's head, and with one out Krista Sticco reached on a error to put two runners on for the Ducks. But Leone buckled down and did not allow the runners to advance any farther in that inning.
Fisher got a leadoff hit of its own in the top of the fourth, and the next batter reached on an error to put two runners in scoring position for the Cardinals with nobody out. Petrocelli got Leanne Merchant (Scotia, N.Y.) to pop up for one out before allowing a walk to load the bases. Then, four straight hits for Fisher made the score 4-0 before Petrocelli got two outs in the air to leave the bases full of Cardinals at the end of the inning.
In the Stevens fourth, Clair Strom worked a one-out walk, and Sarah Parker singled down the rightfield line to put two runners on, but the team couldn't capitalize on the rally in that turn at bat, either.
Fisher picked up right where they left off in the fifth, with a leadoff double to the centerfield wall by Lauren O'Brien (East Amherst, N.Y.) to begin the inning. A flyout and a walk put runners on first and second with one out. Ducks thirdbaseman Victoria Webber made a great play on a hard-hit ball down the line for the second out. But Kayla Goodberlet (Columbus, Ohio) and Kelly Jones (Lancaster, N.Y.) came through for the Cardinals with clutch two-out RBI singles making the score 7-0 at the end of the inning.
Zoerb reached on an error to start the top of the sixth, and with two outs was doubled home by Carissa Carlson (Little Genesee, N.Y.) to give the Cardinals an 8-0 cushion, which they would keep through the bottom of the sixth to end the game.
In game two Stevens, now the visiting team according to Empire 8 rules, went down in order in the top of the first.
The first two batters reached base for the Cardinals in their half of the first inning, and after a sacrifice bunt advanced them both 60 feet, a walk loaded the bases with one out. Megan Graves (Ft. Ann, N.Y.) singled up the middle to drive home one, but Lauren Hurley's strong throw from center gunned down Zoerb trying to score from second for the second out. Jamie Harmon South Portland, Maine) then singled for the Cardinals to center, but Fisher held the runner from second this time due to Hurley's arm. They left her stranded there as the inning ended with only a 1-0 Fisher advantage.
Strom led off the top of the second with a double that rolled to the rightfield wall, but could not advance farther as Cardinal starter Michelle Krier (Kenmore, N.Y.) retired the next three Stevens hitters in order.
Fisher manufactured another run in the bottom of the second on a single, sacrifice bunt, wild pitch and a sac fly to improve their lead to 2-0.
Krier had eight K's through the first four innings, including striking out the side in the top of the third.
Carlson began the bottom half of the third with a walk, and was sacrificed to second by Graves. A single by Goodberlet brought Carlson home as Fisher tacked on another run to their lead in the fourth.
Fisher then exploded for five unearned runs in the fourth, including a two-run homerun by Goodberlet to centerfield to make the score 8-0 in favor of the Cardinals. Stevens went down in order in the top of the fifth to end the game via the eight-run rule.
Stevens will host its Duck Country event next time out as they take on Nazareth College on Sunday, beginning at 1 p.m.
