YONKERS, N.Y. (April 7, 2010) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team beat the College of Mount Saint Vincent (2-12) in both games of their doubleheader Wednesday afternoon. In game one, the Ducks won handily 12-0 in a mercy-rule shortened game while in the nightcap, the team hung on to win a wild 6-5 extra-inning decision. Lauren Hurley and Clair Strom both homered for the Stevens (5-13), and Amanda Petrocelli and Molly Herforth earned the wins for the Ducks.
In game one, the team scored the most runs it has all season, pounding the Dolphins 12-0. Lauren Hurley, Brianna Sticco and Naomi Sacks- the team's 1-2-3 hitters- combined to go 10-for-10 in the game with eight runs scored and eight runs batted in.
Amanda Petrocelli went the distance for Stevens in game one, striking out nine in five innings and earning her third win of the year and second shutout of the season.
Cleanup hitter Clair Strom pitched in with a 2-for-3 performance in game one with a run and RBI coming on a solo dinger. Sarah Parker, Denise Wagner, Maggie Weigel and Krista Sticco also had hits for the Ducks in the first game.
In game two, Brianna Sticco got things going for Stevens with a one-out walk in the first frame. Sacks followed up with a single through the left side, before Lauren Hurley launched the ball over the leftfield wall for her second homerun of the year and a quick 3-0 Ducks lead.
A couple Stevens errors allowed Mt. St. Vincent to score one of their own in the bottom half of the first.
After allowing the Ducks to score three in the first, Dolphin starter Megan Gonzalez (Fishers, Ind.) settled down and did not allow another run over the next six frames, scattering five Stevens hits over that stretch.
Mt. St. Vincent scored two unearned runs to knot the score in the bottom of the fourth, and the teams headed into extras tied at three.
Stevens started the eventful eighth inning with Hurley placed on second. Naomi Sacks drove her home with a one-out base knock. Strom then singled and Parker lifted a fly ball to center deep enough to score Sacks from third and make the score 5-3. Wagner followed with another RBI single to give the Ducks their final run, and Stevens headed to the bottom of the eighth with a three-run lead.
The Dolphins went down fighting, putting their first three runners on in addition to the runner placed on second to start the inning. With nobody out and the tying run on base, Herforth buckled down and got three straight outs to strand the runner on third and preserve the Stevens sweep. It was her second win of the season.
The Ducks will host St. John Fisher College and Nazareth College this weekend on Saturday and Sunday, respectfully. Both doubleheaders will begin at 1 p.m.
