WEEHAWKEN, N.J. (March 13, 2019) – The Stevens Institute of Technology softball team was swept by SUNY New Paltz 4-3 and 8-4 in Wednesday's doubleheader season-opener at Weehawken Waterfront Park.
Game One
The Hawks scored their first two runs in the first inning. After two batters walked and Kelsey Trudden was sent to first after being hit by a pitch, Celia Santini worked a walk off of senior
Marissa Cappello to give New Paltz the lead. The Hawks tallied their second run of the inning after Shannon Fee scored on a wild pitch. Cappello then struck out her first batter of the game to end the inning.
In the bottom of the first, senior
Katie Tirabassi doubled through the left side. Sophomore
Madison Gemma followed with a double of her own to send Tirabassi home and put the Ducks on the board.
Junior
Samantha Schattin tied the game in the third inning after scoring on a wild pitch. Stevens then took the lead when Gemma tallied her second RBI of the day with a single that brought in sophomore
Amanda Delorme.
New Paltz immediately took back their lead in the top of the fourth when Taylor LaFrance hit a two-run double to left field. The final three innings were scoreless, giving the Hawks their first win of the season.
Game Two
Stevens opened up the scoring in game two when Tirabassi singled to bring in Schattin. Gemma followed with a single up the middle to push Tirabassi to second, but senior
Julia DeCandia hit the ball right to the shortstop, who tagged out Tirabassi before flipping the ball to the second baseman for the double play.
In the second inning, the Hawks took the lead after Michaela Damore registered a single to bring in Trudden before Ashley Puig singled to right field to send Damore home.
The Ducks did not let New Paltz hold on to their lead long as they scored two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Junior
Melissa Alfonso reached base on a single before sophomore
Siobhan Cottell hit a sacrifice bunt and junior
Gina DeOliveira singled, putting Alfonso on third. DeOliveira then stole second prior to Schattin hitting a two-run double to left field, giving Stevens a 3-2 lead.
Another single by Damore in the fourth inning that sent Carol Ann Campsey home tied the game. The following two innings were scoreless until the top of the seventh, when senior Christina LaRochelle walked Julia DiSpignia with the bases loaded to put the Hawks up by one. Santini and Trudden each registered two-run singles to give New Paltz a comfortable lead.
Schattin gave Stevens the hopes of a rally with a triple down the left field line before freshman
Meg Halloran collected her first collegiate RBI with a single to left field. Next at bat, Tirabassi pushed Halloran to second with her single up the middle. Gemma then grounded out to the catcher, but was able to advance both Tirabassi and Halloran. Katie Quagliana then struck out DeCandia prior to Alfonso being thrown out at first to secure the victory for the Hawks.
Inside the Numbers
- Cappello tallied seven strikeouts in her season debut.
- Alfonso led in game one with seven putouts, while Tirabassi led with 13 in game two.
- Schattin stole three bases on the day.
- Gemma and Schattin each registered four hits and two RBI across the two games.
- Quagliana struck out six batters across the two games to add two in her win column.
From the Dugout
- "It's always tough to open the season wit two losses but the scoreboard doesn't indicate the potential this particular team has," commented head softball coach Emily Kaczmarek. "I'm looking forward to our spring break trip to play some high level softball in warm weather and continue to grow as a cohesive unit. Every day we can play, we're that much closer to reaching the next level of development."
Up Next
- The Ducks will travel begin their spring break trip in Florida with a 1:15 P.M. first pitch against NYU on Saturday, March 16.
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