HOUGHTON, N.Y. (April 13, 2018) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team swept an Empire 8 doubleheader from Houghton College by scores of 2-1 and 1-0 on Friday to run its winning streak to 11 games and remain perfect in conference play. Stevens pitchers Marissa Cappello and Christine LaRochelle combined to allow just one run in 16 innings on Friday.
 
Box sores will be posted as soon as they are available.
 
Junior Marissa Cappello twirled a two-hit shutout in game two. She struck out 15 Highlanders on her way to her fourth shutout of the season. She is now 6-1 on the year.
 
Samantha Schattin began the game's only rally in the fifth with a single to center. With two out, Corinne Loncar smacked an RBI double to put Stevens up 1-0. A Madison Gemma single and a hit batter loaded the bases, but Houghton's Tanya Hatton was able to escape without further damage. She scattered seven hits in a complete game effort and allowed just one run.
 
Houghton looked for the equalizer in game two after the leadoff batter singled in the seventh, but Cappello got the next three batters – capped by a backwards K – to earn the win and the sweep.
 
The Ducks rallied for an extra inning win in the opener as well:
 
In the top of the ninth of game one, Gina DeOliveira walked to lead off the frame, and with two outs reached third on a Highlander miscue. Another Houghton error allowed her to score an unearned run to put the Ducks up 2-1.
 
LaRochelle continued her dominance of the last month, striking out the first two Houghton hitters in the bottom of the ninth and getting a grounder to DeOliveira for the final out.
 
The Stevens hurler tossed her second-straight complete game and just missed her fourth shutout of the year by one out. She struck out seven and allowed just one extra-basehit.
 
Stevens' only other run came in the second inning: Oliva Gemma doubled to leftfield to begin that rally, and Melissa Alfonso and Schattin strung together a pair of singles to bring her around for a long while seemed like would be the only run of the game.
 
In the home half of the seventh, down to their final out, Houghton rallied for the game-tying run with three-straight singles to force extra innings. LaRochelle had gone 31.2 innings without allowing a run until the late rally. She was poised enough to remain in the game and allow just one baserunner in her two extra innings to nail down her sixth win of the year.
 
Up Next
The Ducks will travel to Alfred University on Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader with the Saxons, who are also unbeaten in Empire 8 play.
 
 
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