Rock Hill, S.C. – The Le Moyne College softball team earned their first two victories of the 2025 season on day two of the Winthrop Garnet & Gold Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Dolphins took down Brown University, 6-3, before riding a seven-run second inning to a 13-8 victory over Youngstown State later in the day.
Game 1:
Le Moyne got on the board early against Brown as a walk by junior first baseman Audrey Benderski (Spring Lake Park, M.N./Spring Lake Park) to leadoff the top of the second inning was immediately followed up by a homer over the right field wall off the bat of freshman third baseman Cianna Benamati (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake).
Neither squad was able to scrape together a rally until the top of the fifth when junior left fielder Avery Linn (Bethpage, N.Y./Plainedge) led off the inning with a single through the left side before senior right fielder Alyssa Dybacz (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker) hammered a shot over the left center wall to give the Dolphins a 4-0 lead.
The Bears were finally able to reach the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth after freshman Nevaeh Ross (Friendship, N.Y./Friendship) came in relief of freshman starter Isabella Kwashek (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford). Second baseman Cameron Zytkewicz Ray was hit by a pinch and advanced to second after a single up the middle by left fielder Leah Carey. Center fielder Lily Berlinger drove both runners in with a three-run home run to center field to cut the team's deficit to one.
Le Moyne was able to extend their lead back to three runs in the top of the seventh as a single by Linn and double down the left field line by Dybacz paved the way for senior second baseman Dominique Rinaldi (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) to lay down a bunt to score the lead runner. A double down the left field line off the bat of sophomore center fielder Sydney Nesci (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) in the next at-bat drove in Dybacz before the Dolphins' rally came to an end.
Brown was unable to put anything together in the bottom of the frame and Le Moyne came away with their first victory of the 2025 season.
Kwashek tossed 4.0 innings of shutout ball in the start, allowing just two hits and striking out one while Ross threw 3.0 innings in relief, surrendering three runs on three hits and one hit batter while striking out three.
Offensively, Dybacz went 2-4 with a homerun, two RBI, and two runs scored while Linn went 2-3 while scoring twice, as well. Benamati's homer marked the second in the first seven games of her collegiate career.
Game 2:
The Dolphins struck even earlier against Youngstown State, putting three runs on the board in the top of the first. A leadoff walk by Dybacz, Rinaldi's hit by pitch, and single from Nesci were followed by a fielder's choice off the bat of senior catcher Elaina Kassap (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) that scored Dybacz. With Kassap reaching on the FC, all three runners eventually advanced on a wild pitch that scored Rinaldi before a groundout from Benderski drove in Nesci.
After the Dolphins' starter Ross was able to get out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the first, Le Moyne brought 10 batters to the plate in a seven-run top of the second. Freshman shortstop Maddie Martin (Carlisle, P.A./Cumberland Valley) led off the frame with a walk and was followed by a single to left field from Linn. Dybacz then drove in both runners with a double to right center to put the 'Phins up, 5-0.
A walk by Rinaldi and series of both steals and wild pitches brought Dybacz around to score and Rinaldi to third during the at-bat of sophomore DP Arianna Exarchakis (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) later in the inning. Exarchakis was eventually able to reach on a fielding error by third baseman Grace Pilaczynski and Rinaldi came around to score, giving Le Moyne a 7-0 lead. Sophomore Kara Bacon (Warrenburg, N.Y./Warrensburg) came in to pinch run for Exarchakis and was able to make her way around the bases due to another series of steals and wild pitches.
Following Bacon's score, Nesci worked a walk and a groundout by Kassap allowed her to advance to second. The next batter, Benderski, singled to right field as Nesci advanced to third and eventually came around to score on an error by the Penguins' right fielder. A double by Benamati paved the way for the final sequence of the inning in which Martin hit a sac fly to center, scoring Benderski before Benamati was tagged out at third. Le Moyne wrapped up the inning with a 10-0 lead after recording seven hits.
The Penguins got on the board in the bottom of the third as Exarchakis came in relief and gave up back-to-back walks to second baseman Ayla Ray and center fielder Bree Kohler before a bunt single from shortstop Elyssa Imler loaded the bases. The next batter, right fielder Kenndy Dean walked in a run before catcher Reese Campbell-Schaller reached on a fielding error by Rinaldi that scored Imler. Left fielder Macy Littler came to bat next and was also walked to drive in Youngstown State's third run of the inning, prompting Le Moyne to turn to Kwashek in relief.
DP Lydia Wilkerson was immediately walked to drive in another run before Ray singled to left field and advanced to second while Littler and Schaller came around to score, bringing the score to 10-6. A two-run double off the bat of Kohler scored Ray and Wilkerson and cut the Penguins' deficit to two before Ross was tabbed to reenter the pitching circle towards end of the frame.
The Dolphins added their final two runs off a Dybacz single to left center that scored sophomore third baseman Gabriella Zarcone (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) in the fifth and a two-run homer from Benderski that drove in Kassap in the sixth inning. The Penguins were unable to scratch the scoreboard in their final two ups, and fell 13-8 to Le Moyne.
Ross earned the win, hurling 6.1 shutout innings, allowing nine hits and one walk while striking out two.
Dybacz went 3-4 with 3 RBI, two runs scored, and one walk while Benderski went 2-4 with three RBI and two runs scored, as well. Six different Dolphins registered at least one hit and four recorded at least one RBI against the Penguins.
What's Next:
Le Moyne (2-7) will wrap up the Garnet & Gold Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C. in their second matchup against St. John's University (6-7-1) at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23.
