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SELECTION SHOW STREAM | PHOTOS

ITHACA, N.Y. (May 2, 2014) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team dropped a 6-2 decision to Alfred University before falling to Utica College 5-2 on Friday, eliminating them from the Empire 8 Championship.
 
With the regular season now over, the Ducks (27-11) will await their postseason fate and hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament on Monday.
 
Alfred 6, Stevens 2
 
Alfred scored one in the top of the first when sophomore Nicole Maher singled to center to score sophomore Samantha Jaurequi, but junior Jamie DeGennaro threw out the runner trying to advance to third to get out of the inning without any more damage.
 
Stevens went scoreless in their half of the first before senior Kayla Berardi worked around a lead-off double in the second with three straight outs to keep the deficit at one.
 
After a scoreless third, Alfred added to their lead in the fourth. With sophomore Nicole Mahar on second after a single and a stolen base, junior Alison Wickwire doubled to center to give the Saxons a 2-0 lead. Berardi escaped further runs by retiring the next three batters, including two strikeouts to keep the Ducks deficit to two.
 
Stevens went scoreless in the fourth before Alfred added two more in the fifth off back-to-back doubles. The Ducks answered in the bottom of the fifth though when senior Stephanie Senkevich walked to lead-off and advanced to third off freshman Kelly Klewicki's one-out double. Wickwire retired senior Danielle DeFeo on an infield pop-up for the second out, but sophomore Gavriella Risman-Jones followed with a blooper off the left-fielder's glove to score two and cut the lead in half.
 
Alfred responded to the Stevens rally with two in the sixth, then shut the Ducks out in the sixth and seventh to end the game.
 
Berardi struck-out seven and surrendered just three earned-runs over seven innings, while DeFeo, Senkevich and Klewicki each added a hit.  
 
Utica 5, Stevens 2
 
Both teams traded zeroes in the first, but Utica broke-through in the second. With the bases loaded and two outs, DeGennaro threw a pick-off over third that allowed the runner to score, but Berardi induced a ground-ball out from the next batter to escape further trouble.
 
Stevens was held scoreless in their half of the third before Utica rallied again for three in the third off RBI hits from sophomore Alyssa Russell, junior Courtney Fitzgerald, and freshman Kassidy Ogren. Utica threatened for more in the fourth with runners at second and third with one out, but Berardi induced back-to-back fly-balls to end the inning.
 
A scoreless fourth game-way to another Utica rally in the fifth where Ogren singled-home senior Meghan Matan to extend the lead to 5-0. DeGennaro answered with a lead-off double in the sixth, but freshman pinch-runner Gina Schnecker was thrown out trying to advance to third on a ground-ball, and the Ducks went scoreless in the inning.
 
The Ducks rallied in the seventh when Klewicki singled to lead-off followed by a triple from sophomore Sydney Spitz. Mulligan drove-in one more with a single up the middle, but Utica sophomore reliever Abby Monroe was able to close the door on the win with a ground-ball-out off Risman-Jones' bat.
 
Coming up
 
The Division III NCAA selection show will take place on May 5 at 10 a.m., and will stream online here. For the latest on any softball postseason news, check stevensducks.com or follow the team on Twitter @stevensducks.
 
 
 
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