CLERMONT, Fla. (March 20, 2016) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team opened its 2016 Spring Break trip with 10-2, and 6-3 wins over Rochester Institute of Technology and Allegheny College respectively. 

The wins kept Stevens undefeated so far this season at 4-0, while RIT (1-2) and Allegheny (2-4) each saw their records drop.

Stevens 10, RIT 2
After trading zeroes in the first, Stevens pushed across a run in the second after an RIT miscue allowed junior Emily Sellitti to score. Freshman pitcher Marissa Cappello held the lead with a scoreless third, allowing the Ducks to add to it with three in the third. 

With freshman Farrly Groder on third and Sellitti on second, sophomore Olivia Gemma blasted a three-run homer to build the Stevens lead to four. RIT answered with two in the top of the fourth, before the Ducks put the game away for good with a six-run fourth inning. 

DiLeo, junior Gina Schnecker, and Risman-Jones each reached to lead off the inning, and after a Groder walk scored one, Loncar provided the pivotal blow with a double to right-center to score two. 

Sophomore Lauren Shirley continued the momentum with an RBI single two batters later, before Gemma tallied her second homer of the game to cap Stevens' big inning. With the run-rule in play, Cappello easily handled RIT in order in the top of the fifth to close out the Stevens win.

Gemma led the Ducks with five RBIs off two home runs, while Loncar drove in two in a 1-for-3 game. Cappello struck out five in five innings of work to earn her second win of the season. 

Stevens 6, Allegheny 3
Risman-Jones opened the game with a double down the left field line, and scored two batters later off a triple from Loncar to give Stevens the early lead. Allegheny answered with a run in their half of the inning, before the Ducks put-up five in the third to regain the lead. 

Schnecker and Risman-Jones started the rally with back-to-back singles to open the inning, and were driven in off RBI hits from sophomore Marissa Barnes and Loncar. Sellitti put another one on the board with a sac fly to right, before sophomore Olivia Gemma capped the inning with an RBI single up the middle. 

The runs were more than enough for senior pitcher Brianna Sandone who worked around base runners in the fourth and sixth to preserve the lead. 

Allegheny did get back on the board with two in the seventh, but Sandone slammed the door on the comeback after inducing a lineout with two outs to strand a runner at second. 

Loncar went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead the Ducks offensively, while Risman-Jones added three hits and scored twice. Sandone scattered nine hits over seven innings of work to earn her first win of the season.

UP NEXT
The Ducks will continue their Florida trip tomorrow with games against Union College and Washington & Jefferson College at 9 and 11 a.m. respectively. 

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