FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 17, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team remained undefeated Tuesday with a 9-8 win over the College of Wooster, followed by a1-0 walk-off win over the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
The wins give Stevens its first 6-0 start in program history, while Wooster and Wisconsin-Superior fell to 8-5 and 9-3 respectively.
Stevens 9, Wooster 8
After a two-run homer put Wooster up two in the top of the first, the Ducks responded in a big way with six in the bottom of the inning. With juniors
Gavriella Risman-Jones on second and
Sydney Spitz on first, senior
Jamie DeGennaro ripped a single to right to push across one.
Sophomores
Jessica Rees and
Emily Sellitti continued the rally with back-to-back RBI singles before freshman
Corinne Loncar singled to center to put the Ducks up 4-2. Sellitti scored on a wild pitch during the next at-bat, and after a Stevens strikeout, junior
Noelle Mulligan alertly tagged-up on a foul out to second to cap the big inning.
Freshman hurler
Olivia Gemma made the lead stand with a scoreless second allowing the Ducks to add two more in the bottom half of the frame off an two-RBI single from Loncar. Stevens scored another in the third, but Wooster was able to get one back in the fourth and fifth before adding three in the sixth.
Clinging to a two run lead, Gemma surrendered back-to-back hits to start the seventh as Wooster cut the lead to one with nobody out. Gemma was able to settle down though, inducing a pop-up to short before getting a ground-out and pop-up to close out the game.
The win keeps Gemma unbeaten to start her collegiate career while fellow rookie Loncar led the Ducks with three hits and two RBIs. DeGennaro, Rees and Mulligan each also added multiple hits.
Stevens 1, Wisconsin-Superior 0
The Ducks mustered a rally in the second with sophomore
Kelly Klewicki at second and Rees at third, but Yellowjackets starter Katie White wiggled out of the jam with back-to-back outs.
Stevens rallied again in the next inning, but a double play turned by the Yellowjackets erased a first and second, one out situation for the Ducks.
The lack of run support did little to deter senior
Kayla Berardi who, after allowing a pair of singles in the first, retired 19 straight batters to send the game into the bottom of the seventh deadlocked at zero.
Needing a run to avoid extra innings, Stevens mounted a rally in the bottom of the seventh sparked by a leadoff single from Rees. Sellitti followed with a walk, but a runner's interference call on Rees on a ground ball from Klewicki put runners at first and second with one out.
Sellitti and Klewikci promptly stole third and second respectively where Mulligan ripped a single to right to drive in the winning run.
Berardi struck out five to earn her third win of the season, and in the process lowered her ERA to 0.65.
UP NEXTThe Ducks will be off tomorrow before continuing their trip Thursday with a 9 a.m. game against the College at Brockport, followed by an 11 a.m. game with Lasell College.
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