Mansfield, Pa. – Freshman shortstop Kirsten Trotta (Wilmington, Del./Alexis I. Dupont) drove in the winning run in the seventh inning as the Le Moyne College softball team rallied for a 4-3 win over Mansfield University in the first game of a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at Lutes Field. Mansfield rallied for a 13-11 victory in the nightcap.

The Dolphins started the scoring in the opener with a run without the benefit of a hit in the top of the second inning. Senior third baseman Fran Kiernan (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) drew a walk on six pitches to open the frame and moved to second as sophomore catcher Kristie Capuano (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) reached on an error by the second baseman. After a sacrifice bunt by junior designated player/pitcher Vanessa Utley (Monroe, Ga./Home School), junior pitcher Sarah Harrison (Canandaigua, N.Y./Cobleskill-Richmondville) lifted a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Kiernan.

Le Moyne took a two-run lead in the third inning as senior center fielder Demetra Kermidas (Binghamton, N.Y./Chenango Valley) blasted her ninth home run of the season to open the inning.

Mansfield took the lead in the bottom of the sixth with three runs on two hits and two Le Moyne errors. With one out, second baseman Courtney Bauder singled to the shortstop and then advanced to third as center fielder Stephanie Simmeth reached on an error by the second baseman. Shortstop/pitcher Kate Pratt followed with a three-run home run to give the Mounties a 3-2 lead.

The Dolphins regained the lead with two runs on two hits and a Mansfield error in the seventh inning. Freshman Allison Reynolds (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) drew a walk on four pitches to start the frame and then took second on a single to right field by Kermidas. After a Mansfield pitching change, freshman first baseman Cara Cawley (Endwell, N.Y./Maine-Endwell) reached on a throwing error by the third baseman, which allowed Reynolds to score. Trotta then singled up the middle to drive in Kermidas from third with the game-winning run.

Junior Erin Batson (Poland, N.Y./Poland) earned the win in the circle after tossing the final two innings, while yielding three runs (two earned) on two hits. Harrison struck out eight batters over five scoreless innings to start the game. Kermidas and Trotta each recorded two of Le Moyne's six hits. Ashley Inman took the loss after giving up two unearned runs over three and one-third innings out of the bullpen.

In the nightcap, the Dolphins plated a run on three hits in the first inning. With Cawley on third with two outs, Kiernan doubled to left field to drive in Cawley.

The Mounties responded with three runs on three hits and a Le Moyne error in the first inning. Bauder was hit by a pitch to open the frame and moved to second on a bunt single by Simmeth. Pratt then reached on an error by the center fielder, which allowed Bauder to score. After a pair of outs around a single by third baseman Danielle Long, first baseman Kaitlyn Harris singled to center field to drive in Pratt and Long.

The Dolphins cut their deficit in half with a run on two hits in the second inning. Utley doubled to lead off the frame and scored from third on a one-out single by Reynolds.

Mansfield extended its lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the fourth with three runs on three hits. Left fielder Taylor Stupski doubled to center to open the inning and moved to third on a sac bunt. Bauder then doubled down the left field line to plate Stupski. Following a pair of walks around the inning's second out, Long singled to left field to knock in Bauder and Simmeth.

Le Moyne took the lead in the top of the fifth inning with five runs on four hits. Kermidas walked on five pitches to open the frame and advanced to second on a one-out single to center by Trotta. Kiernan followed with a three-run homer to pull the Dolphins within 6-5. After a single by Capuano and a walk by sophomore Stephanie Ostrander (Gansevoort, N.Y./Schuylerville) around a groundout, Reynolds doubled to right center to drive in pinch-runner Batson and Ostrander.

The Mounties regained the lead with four runs on four hits and a Le Moyne error in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and catcher Chara Dixon on second base, Bauder singled to the shortstop to knock in Dixon. Simmeth followed with a single to left field to plate Bauder, while she then scored on a double to left center by Pratt. Right fielder Megan Miller then singled to right center to knock in Pratt.

The Dolphins took the lead back with four runs on five hits in the top of the sixth inning. Following a double by Kermidas and a strikeout to start the frame, Trotta, the reigning Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Week, drilled a two-run homer to cut Le Moyne's deficit to 10-9. In between a pair of Mansfield pitching changes, Kiernan doubled down the right field line and Capuano followed with a single to push freshman pinch-runner Mackenzie Dreher (Hinckley, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) to third base. Dreher then raced home on a wild pitch to tie the score. Batson followed with a single down the right field line to drive in Capuano with the go-ahead run.

Mansfield took the lead for good with three runs on three hits in the bottom of the sixth inning. Harris singled to right field with one out and took second on a two-out single to the shortstop by shortstop Amanda Goodwin. Bauder then launched a three-run home run to give the lead back to Mansfield.

Batson took the loss out of the bullpen after giving up seven runs on seven hits over two-plus innings in the circle. Kiernan finished the game with three extra-base hits (two doubles and a home run) and four RBI, while Kermidas, Trotta, Capuano and Reynolds had two hits each. Pratt earned the win after striking out six batters in six innings over two stints in the circle, while allowing six runs on nine hits. Bauder had three hits, five RBI and four runs scored, while Simmeth, Long and Harris had two hits apiece.

Le Moyne (16-19) returns to action at home on Wednesday against Assumption College at 12:00 p.m. Due to the threat of inclement weather, the doubleheader was moved up three hours from its originally scheduled time of 3:00 p.m.