Wilmington, N.C. – The Le Moyne College softball team continued their opening weekend in another doubleheader on Saturday. The Dolphins came away with a 9-2 loss against Queens University of North Carolina in the early afternoon before dropping their second game against weekend host UNCW, 8-0.

Game 1:
Queens took an early lead in the first game of the day, as left fielder Kaylee Dejesus and second baseman Daughtry were driven in by a two-RBI double off the bat of center fielder Natalie Windham in the bottom of the second. Windham was able to advance to third on the throw and scored on a wild pitch one batter later, giving the Royals a 3-0 lead.

After freshman Isabella Kwashek (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) came in relief of freshman starting pitcher Nevaeh Ross (Friendship, N.Y./Friendship) in the next frame, Queens added two more off the bat of right fielder Olivia Thornton. Thornton drove a shot to center, advancing to third as first baseman Lindsey Deroeck and third baseman Brooke Piper made their way around to score. 

Le Moyne cracked the scoreboard in the top of the fifth as sophomore Kara Bacon (Warrensburg, N.Y./Warrensburg) led off with a pinch-hit walk before senior catcher Elaina Kassap (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) reached on a fielder's choice. Junior second baseman Avery Linn (Bethpage, N.Y./Plainedge) and freshman center fielder Maddie Martin (Carlisle, P.A./Cumberland Valley) were able to push junior Alayna Bush (Adams, N.Y./South Jefferson), Kassap's pinch runner, to third with some small ball before a fielding error allowed Bush to score later in the inning. Senior shortstop Dominique Rinaldi (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville) tallied the Dolphins lone RBI of the game in the next at-bat, singling down the third base line to drive in Martin, bringing Le Moyne back within three runs.

The Royals were able to break the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning, however, as three singles early in the inning led to an RBI single to short off the bat of Thornton. Johnson followed with a double to left center that drove in DP Makala Strickland, Piper, and Thornton, giving Queens a 9-2 lead. The Dolphins were unable to start a rally in the seventh, and fell to the Royals in game one. 

In the circle, Ross allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks while striking out two over 2.0 innings in the start. Kwashek pitched 2.1 innings in relief, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out one before sophomore Arianna Exarchakis (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) hurled the final 1.2 innings, allowing four runs on five hits in the loss.

Offensively, Rinaldi finished the game 1-3 with one RBI while Martin registered the only other hit for the Dolphins against Queens. 

Game 2:
Following a quiet 1-2-3 top of the first, UNCW was able to put together a five-spot in their half of the inning against 'Phins junior starting pitcher Rose Nicastro (Webster N.Y./Webster Thomas). Three straight singles to lead off the inning by center fielder Cassidy Relay, left fielder Arial Pearce, and second baseman Maggie Pertee threatened damage before DP Allison Corbin doubled to left center, scoring the leading two runners. After two quick outs nearly closed the frame, shortstop Madison Biddle came up and hit a three-run homer over the left center wall to give the Seahawks a 5-0 lead.

Pearce added another run for UNCW in the bottom of the second, singling to left center to drive in Relay who had singled up the middle and stole second one batter earlier. 

The Dolphins recorded the first of their two hits in the game in the top of the fourth as Rinaldi slapped a single through the left side, but the game remained scoreless until the Seahawks ended the game in the bottom of the fifth.

With freshman Danni Simpson (Marietta, G.A./Sprayberry) pitching in relief of Nicastro, UNCW registered two singles to lead off the fifth before right fielder Morgan Britt tallied an RBI on a groundout to second and catcher Mackenzie Amodeo singled to right center to drive in the squad's eighth run, forcing the second game of Le Moyne's doubleheader short. 

Nicastro's final line in the start was 3.0 innings of six run ball (only one earned) on eight hits while tallying one strikeout and no walks. Simpson allowed two runs on three hits with one strikeout in her relief appearance.

What's Next:
Le Moyne (0-4) will round out their opening weekend in a second game against Syracuse on Boseman Field tomorrow, Sunday, Feb. 9 at 10:00 a.m.