CAPE CORAL, Fla. (March 20, 2015) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team knocked off Knox College 17-5 Friday before falling to the University of Wisconsin-Superior 6-4 to close out its Florida trip.
At 9-1 the Ducks are off to their best 10 game start in program history. Knox and Wisconsin-Superior fell to 0-7 and 12-4 respectively.
Stevens 17, Knox 5
Knox came out strong with two runs in the first, but the Ducks answered in a big way with five in the bottom of the inning. With two runs already in, sophomore
Emily Sellitti scored on a wild pitch to give the Ducks the 3-2 lead. Freshman
Lauren Shirley continued the rally with a groundout RBI before freshman
Marissa Barnes doubled to score one more.
After holding Knox scoreless in the second, the Ducks started their bats once again with two in the bottom of the inning. Sophomore
Kelly Klewicki singled with nobody out to score junior
Gavriella Risman-Jones before freshman
Corinne Loncar capped the rally with an RBI infield single.
The Ducks added five more in the third off four hits, and after Knox came back with three in the fourth, Stevens put the game completely out of reach with five in the bottom of the fourth.
Freshman
Farryl Groder started the scoring with a two-run double to center, and Klewcki continued it the next at bat with an RBI single to center. Selleitti added an RBI single of her own in the next at bat before a Loncar sacrifice fly capped the rally.
Groder led the Ducks offensively with a career high four hits to go along with a pair of RBIs, while Sellitti, Klewicki and Loncar each added three RBIs.
Freshman
Cara Napolitano struck out three in four innings of work to earn her first collegiate win.
Wisconsin-Superior 6, Stevens 4
After the Ducks went down in order in the top of the first, the Yellowjackets struck first in the bottom half of the frame with a run off an RBI single.
Stevens answered in the second with an RBI single from Loncar to score sophomore
Jessica Rees before senior
Kayla Berardi ensured the lead held-up with scoreless innings in the second, third and fourth.
Looking to take a lead, Loncar and Groder led off the fifth with back-to-back singles where Risman-Jones drove Loncar in with an RBI single to center. Groder advanced to third on the play, and scored on the next at bat off a sacrifice fly from junior
Sydney Spitz.
Wisconsin came back with two in the fifth to tie the game, and after a scoreless sixth and seventh, the Ducks took a one run lead in the eighth off an RBI singles from Groder. The run proved to not be enough however as the Yellowjackets answered in the eighth with a walk-off three run homer.
Risman-Jones led the Ducks with three hits and an RBI while Berardi struck out five.
UP NEXT With the Florida portion of the schedule now over, the Ducks will host New York University on March 26 in their home opener at Weehawken Waterfront Park.
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