WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (April 2, 2011) – Victoria Webber ended a frenetic day at the Weehwaken Waterfront with a game-winning, walkoff single through the raindrops in the bottom of the seventh to snap an 11-11 tie and give Stevens the 12-11game two victory. Sophomore Clair Strom added four hits on the day, including a two-run homerun, as the Ducks split an Empire 8 doubleheader with Alfred University on Saturday. The Saxons took the first game, 5-1.
Game 1
Nicole Hendrick (Albany, N.Y.) led off the game with a walk and the Saxons sacrificed her over to second with one out. Stevens starter Kayla Berardi struck out the next two Alfred hitters, but as the second strikeout victim reached first on a passed ball, the Alfred runner on second used some heads-up baserunning to come around to score on the play as Alfred led 1-0 after a half inning.
In the bottom of the first, Danielle DeFeo walked to lead off the frame, but the runner was still on first with two outs. Then, Clair Strom walloped a double that split the gap in left center and allowed Naomi Sacks to score all the way from first and tie the game at one.
Berardi struck out two in the top of the second and held Alfred scoreless in the inning. Alfred starter Chelsey Cary (Corfu, N.Y.) did the same to Stevens in the bottom of the frame.
Hendrick started things up again with a double to right center in the third, and Molly Shepherd Camillun, N.Y.) followed that with a one-out triple to left to give Alfred a 2-1 lead. A single by Breeal Delgado (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) pushed another run across for the Saxons, who led 3-1 after two-and-a-half.
Berardi stroked a single the other way in the bottom of the third for the lone Stevens baserunner of the inning.
In the fourth, Alfred hung two more runs on the board on the strength of a two-out, two-run home run by Hendrick.
With two outs in the fourth, Stephanie Senkevich singled to center and Victoria Webber doubled off the top of the wall in left field, but the Ducks couldn't bring them in to score and still trailed 5-1.
Shortstop Naomi Sacks capped off the Alfred fifth with a great diving play to her right side to snare a liner in the hole. Sacks then walked for the Ducks for their only baserunner of the fifth.
The teams traded scoreless halves of the sixth, and rightfielder Noreen Jordan made a nice running play to end the Alfred seventh and save a run.
The Ducks, however, could not muster a threat as Alfred pitcher Chelsey Cary got Stevens to go 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win for the Saxons.
Game 2
Stevens starter Molly Herforth allowed just a walk in the top half of the first, and Berardi led off the bottom of the inning with a single up the middle. Sacks then knocked another single back up through the box to put two runners on for Stevens. The Saxons intentionally walked Senkevich to load the bases with two outs, but the inning ended scoreless.
In the second, Alfred got a sacrifice fly from Maressa Mistretta (Shirley, N.Y.) for the early 1-0 lead.
Jordan led off the Stevens second with a single through the left side, and Lauren Hurley walked as the first two Duck hitters reached base. Krista Sticco then worked a walk of her own to load the bases with nobody out. Berardi came up and singled through the left side for an RBI that tied the game at one.
Herforth then helped her own cause tremedously as she cranked a bases-loaded double to left for three ribbies that gave the Ducks a 4-1 lead and chase Saxon starter Nicole Hendrick from the circle. Sacks then greeted new pitcher and game one starter Chelsey Carey with an RBI double to the wall down the leftfield line, and the inning ended with Stevens holding a 5-1 lead.
Alfred scored a run on a bases-loaded infield single by Angela Netta (Rahway, N.J.) to trim the lead to 5-2, and Ashley Passaro (Long Beach, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch to force home another as the top of the third ended with Alfred trailing 5-3. It was three up, three down for Stevens in their half of the frame.
Herforth shut Alfred down in the first half of the fourth, and Sacks and Strom hit a one-out singles and Senkevich walked in the home half to load the bases and start a rally. Webber reached on an error to drive in one and Jordan drove in another with a fielder's choice. On the same play, Senkevich caught the Saxons sleeping and scampered home for another Duck tally that made the score 8-3 Stevens.
The skies finally did what they had threatened to do all day, and rain started to fall as Alfred batted in the fifth. Herforth allowed a single run but got three outs to make the game official.
In the home half of the fifth, after Berardi singled and scored on a couple of illegal pitches, Clair Strom stroked a two-run homer to left field, right into the teeth of the oncoming nor'easter that increased the Duck lead to11-4.
Alfred got a couple of two-out, bases-loaded walks in the top half of the sixth to trim the Stevens lead to 11-6 before Herforth ended it with a strikeout. Stevens could not score in the rain-soaked bottom of the sixth.
With a much heavier rain beginning to come down, Alfred loaded the bases with one out in the final inning, and scored five runs in the frame to tie it up at 11 apiece. Throwing the ball became an adventure over the last inning, as players from both sides called for the ball to be changed with nearly every pitch. The two teams combined for 20 walks in game two alone.
Strom led off the bottom of the seventh by ripping a single through the left side, and advanced all the way to third on two consecutive wild pitches. Victoria Webber was the rain-soaked savior who finally sent everyone home when she lifted a flyball over the drawn-in outfield for a game-winning, walkoff single.
The Ducks will be back in action again tomorrow, Sunday April 17, against Empire 8 rival Rochester Institute of Technology at 12 noon. It is the team's Duck Country event and the Stevens will also celebrate senior day for Naomi Sacks and Sherri Rosenberg with a ceremony between games.
