WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (April 6, 2012) – Kayla Berardi (Brookfield, Conn.) went 4-for-4 at the plate and earned the complete game victory in game one, while Clair Strom (El Paso, Texas) and Jamie DeGennaro (Pearl River, N.Y.) hit back-to-back homers in game two as the Stevens Institute of Technology softball team swept Elmira College. Friday's scores were 10-1 and 6-2 and marked the first Empire 8 games of each squad's season.

Game One

After getting into a bit of a jam, a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play ended the first for Berardi and gave Stevens its first chance at the plate.

Berardi's double and two more walks loaded the bases with two outs for Stevens in the first. Noreen Jordan (Orangeburg, N.Y.) then knocked in two runs with a clutch two-out hit up the middle to give the Ducks an early 2-0 advantage.

Elmira got one back in their next turn at bat, as they pushed a run across via a walk, bunt single and sacrifice fly to make the score 2-1.

Four consecutive singles by Kendel Aurand (McVeytown, Pa.), Danielle DeFeo (Andover, N.J.), Berardi and DeGennaro plated two more runs for the Ducks in the second. Strom reached on an error to re-load the bases, and Stephanie Senkevich (Washington, N.J.) walked to force a run in. With two outs, Sarah Parker (Fredricksburg, Va.) sent a ball to the wall in left-centerfield to drive in two more runners and give the Ducks a 7-1 lead.

Parker made a nice sliding catch in shallow centerfield for the second out of the Elmira fourth inning. In the home half of the frame, the Ducks got three more runs on three walks and RBI singles by DeFeo and Berardi that increased the lead to 10-1.

Berardi got Elmira to go 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth to end the game via the run-rule. The sophomore earned the complete-game victory, striking out six batters in five innings of work. DeFeo had three hits in game one and Aurand was 2-for-2.

Game Two

Stevens starter Brianna Sandone (Haddon Twp., N.J.) shut out Elmira over the first three innings, allowing just three hits in that time. The Ducks were also scoreless into the third inning.

In the last half of the third inning, DeFeo and Parker singled to put two on with one out for the first good scoring chance for either side. With two down, Strom hit a humpback liner over the thirdbaseman's head for a 2-RBI single that made the score 2-0 Ducks.

In the top of the next inning, Parker fielded a two-out single in centerfield and fired home to nail the Elmira runner attempting to score from second base. Strom blocked the plate so effectively that Heinz never even got to the dish as another inning ended scoreless for Sandone.

Jordan walked and Noelle Mulligan (Staten Island, N.Y.) singled to lead off the Stevens fourth, and DeFeo came through with a two-out RBI single to give the Ducks another run.

DeGennaro led off the fifth inning with a majestic home run that hit a tree in left-centerfield, and Strom followed that up with a long homer down the leftfield line as the Ducks went yard in back-to-back at-bats for the first time this season.

The Ducks tacked on an unearned run in the last half of the sixth and went to the final inning leading 6-0.

The Soaring Eagles were able to scratch two across in their last gasp, but Sandone eventually shut the door and earned the win in game two. She struck out four batters and scattered eight hits and walking just one.

DeFeo, DeGennaro and Strom each had three hits and combined for five RBIs to power the Duck attack in the second game.

Stevens will be back in action on Saturday, when the team hosts Utica College for another Empire 8 doubleheader. First pitch at the Weehawken Waterfront is set for 1 p.m.

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