Syracuse, N.Y. – Junior third baseman
Kelly Mascari (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill/Buffalo) homered to lead the Le Moyne College softball team to a 2-1 win over Bentley University in the first game of a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at the Thomas J. Niland Athletic Complex. The Falcons captured the nightcap, 3-1, in eight innings.
In the opening game, the Dolphins scored their only two runs of the game on just one hit. After junior center fielder
Sabrina Riley (Deer Park, N.Y./Deer Park) was hit by a pitch with two outs, Mascari hammered a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left field for her conference-best fifth home run of the season.
Bentley broke through in the top of the sixth as first baseman Morgan Mazone led off with a home run to left field.
Senior righty
Toni Secreti (Baldwinsville, N.Y./Westhill/Herkimer C.C.) earned her seventh victory of the season after striking out two over five and two-thirds innings, while yielding just one run. Sophomore righty
Alexis Eastman (Endicott, N.Y./Union-Endicott) registered the final four outs, including three via strikes, to earn her second save of the season. Junior shortstop
Courtney Case (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon) was unable to get on base in the game, snapping her streak of 19 straight games to open the season of reaching first base. Kelly Ferris took the loss for the Falcons after yielding two runs on five hits over six innings, while striking out six.
In the nightcap, the teams were scoreless through regulation. After catcher Natalie Tarantino was placed on second to start the eighth via the international tiebreaker, third baseman Katelyn Lebreux reached on a muffed throw by the second baseman on a sacrifice bunt attempt, which allowed Tarantino to race around and score. Following a sacrifice bunt, second baseman Catie Noons doubled down the left field line to drive in Lebreux. With the bases loaded and two outs later in the frame, pitcher Kelsey Smith singled to right field to knock in Mazone, who singled after the double by Noons.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Dolphins scored once on one hit, but left the tying run stranded at first base. With senior left fielder
Allison Reynolds (Penfield, N.Y./Penfield) on third after being placed on second and taking third on a groundout, she scored on a single to right field by Mascari. After senior right fielder
Kirsten Trotta (Wilmington, Del./Alexis I. Dupont) was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second, Eastman blasted the first pitch from Smith to center field, but it got caught in the wind and was collected by the center fielder to end the game.
Eastman was the tough-luck loser after yielding three unearned runs, while striking out eight over eight innings. Smith earned her third win of the season after striking out three over eight innings, while giving up just one unearned run.
Le Moyne (14-7, 2-2 NE-10), which lost at home to the Falcons for the first time in 20 all-time meetings, returns to action at home on Tuesday against American International College at 3:00 p.m.
