Emmitsburg, Md. – The Le Moyne College softball team claimed their third-straight victory as they took down the Morgan State Bears, 5-1, on day two of the Mount St. Mary's Tournament on Saturday, Mar. 8.
Le Moyne got on the board first in the bottom of the opening frame, as senior second baseman Dominique Rinaldi (Sayville, N.Y./Sayville), senior right fielder Alyssa Dybacz (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker), and sophomore DP Arianna Exarchakis (Monroe, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury) singled in three straight at-bats to load the bases. The next batter, sophomore center fielder Sydney Nesci (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse), worked another single to left field to score the lead runner and give the team a quick 1-0 lead.
Following a 1-2-3 top of the second that ended with Dolphins' freshman starter Isabella Kwashek (West Deptford, N.J./West Deptford) inducing her third swinging strikeout of the early innings, senior catcher Elaina Kassap (Long Beach, N.Y./Long Beach) led off the bottom of the inning with a homerun to right center, the first of her collegiate career.
The Bears brought their only run of the game to the plate in the top of the fourth as DP Victoria Fletcher led off with a single to left center before her pinch runner, Nia Lewis, stole second and advanced to third on an infield grounder in the next-at bat. Lewis came around to score as left fielder Olivia Pagano laced a double to right center later in the inning.
The Dolphins added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth as freshman third baseman Cianna Benamati (Ballston Lake, N.Y./Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) opened the frame with a single up the middle. Freshman Maddie Martin (Carlisle, P.A./Cumberland Valley) was entered as a pinch runner and stole second before being driven in by a single up the middle off the bat of Kassap. A single through the right side by Dybacz allowed Kassap's pinch runner, sophomore Kara Bacon (Warrensburg, N.Y./Warrensburg), to cross the plate and give Le Moyne a 4-1 lead.
The final run of the game was brought in during the bottom of the fifth as Nesci reached on a throwing error and advanced into scoring position as junior first baseman Audrey Benderski (Spring Lake Park, M.N./Spring Lake Park) walked to get on base. Two batters later, Kassap reached on fielder's choice in which Nesci was able to move to third and score on a throwing error.
Kwashek struck out the side in the top of the sixth and two more in the seventh to finish out the first complete game of her career and her second win of the season. Kwashek's final line was one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out nine in 7.0 innings in the circle.
Dybacz, Exarchakis, and Kassap each recorded two hits while the latter recorded a pair of RBI in the game, as well.
What's Next:
Le Moyne (5-13) will finish out the weekend on Sunday, Mar. 9 with two games, first against Mount St. Mary's at 11:00 a.m. and then in another matchup with Morgan State at 1:00 p.m.
