Center Valley, Pa. – First-year
Isabela Lipsky homered in each game as the Stevens Institute of Technology softball team opened Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom play with a sweep of DeSales University on Saturday.
The Ducks (7-5, 2-0 MAC Freedom) won 9-1 in five innings before taking the nightcap 11-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stevens got the bats going early, scoring four times in the top of the first.
Carmelita Murphy-Brown reached on a fielder's choice before
Maria Dante singled to center, putting runners on the corners.
Jessica Hsu, who started the opener in the circle, roped a single up the middle, scoring Murphy-Brown. Lipsky was up next and cranked a three-run home run on the first pitch over the left-field wall.
DeSales got a run back in the second, as a walk, single, and two fielder's choices trimmed the deficit to three at 4-1. The Ducks answered, putting up four more tallies in the third.
Allison Mitloff led off with a single to left-center and stole second before scoring as Murphy-Brown reached on an error. Hsu walked, and Lipsky loaded the bases by reaching on an error. Catcher
Kacey DiPasquale cleared the bases, delivering a three-run double into the left-center-field gap to score all three runners.
The Ducks capped the scoring in game one in the fifth, as Lipsky got on base with an infield knock and advanced to second. Two batters later,
Madison DiSarno singled back through the box, scoring Lipsky from second. Hsu ran into trouble in the fifth, as a walk, fielder's choice, and single loaded the bases with one out. The sophomore got a strikeout and a fielder's choice to close out the opener.
Stevens threatened in the second inning of game two, as Lipsky walked, stole second, and moved to third on a DiPasquale single. The Ducks were unable to capitalize, as the next two hitters were retired. The Bulldogs scratched two runs across in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single, but a heads-up play by DiPasquale nabbed a runner trying to advance to second.
The visitors evened the game at two in the third.
Emma Quattrochi reached on a one-out single before scoring on a Mitloff single. The sophomore was brought in on an RBI double to right by Hsu, tying the game at two. Stevens grabbed its first lead of game two in the fourth, as
Kyra Fischer led off with a single up the middle. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Isabelle Won, and after a DiSarno single and stolen base, Stevens had runners on second and third. Quattrochi ripped a two-run double to left, scoring both to make it 4-2.
Stevens erupted for six runs in the sixth to break the game open. DiSarno, Quattrochi, and Murphy-Brown singled before Hsu drew a four-pitch walk to bring a run home. Down 0-2 in the count, Lipsky battled back to work the count full before hammering the eighth pitch of the at-bat to the opposite field, sending it over the right-field fence for a grand slam. DeSales added two runs in the bottom of the sixth before Murphy-Brown recorded an RBI single to seal the 11-4 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The first-year trio of Lipsky, DiPasquale, and DiSarno accounted for seven of the eight RBI in game one.
- Mitloff went 2-for-3 in the opener while adding a stolen base.
- Hsu went the distance in game one, throwing five innings of two-hit ball while striking out three.
- Lipsky was on base four times, drawing three walks before capping off her day with the grand slam. It was the first grand slam by a Duck since Lauren Shirley hit one against Ithaca on April 23, 2016.
- Quattrochi went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Murphy-Brown added three hits.
- Coming off the bench, DiSarno was a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs scored.
- Fischer tossed a complete game, striking out four and walking none.
UP NEXT
The Ducks host Hunter College in their home opener at Weehawken Waterfront Park tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
