Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College softball team closed out the 2026 regular season with their series finale against Central Connecticut State on Sunday. The Dolphins dropped the rubber match, 12-4, in six innings at home.
Le Moyne took an early lead, going ahead, 1-0, in the bottom of the first as freshman left fielder
Kayla Dunkerley (Purcellville, Va. / Loudon Valley) led-off with an infield single to short before advancing to second on a bunt from sophomore center fielder
Maddie Martin (Carlisle, Pa. / Cumberland Valley). Dunkerley came around to score later in the inning as junior right fielder
Sydney Nesci (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse) drove her in with a single to left field.
The visitors overcame their deficit in the top of the second as they added four runs on four hits and two walks in the frame. Right fielder Kristina Bozek and center fielder Ashlyn Desaulniers recorded back-to-back RBI base hits off Le Moyne's freshman starter
Tatum Nessman (Calgary, Alberta / National Sport School). Two at-bats later, catcher Regan Vunak scored both runners with a double to center field.
CCSU extended their lead to four runs, 5-1, in the next inning as DP Josyln Teal connected on a solo homer to center field.
The Dolphins cut the lead to three runs in their half of the inning as Martin singled through the left side before stealing second and then coming home on an RBI single up the middle off the bat of
Audrey Benderski (Spring Lake Park, Minn./Spring Lake Park).
A rally early in the bottom of the fourth put Le Moyne right back in striking distance, down by one run, as freshman catcher
Elizabeth Gleghorn (West Henrietta, N.Y. / Rush-Henrietta) led-off with a double to center field before junior third baseman
Gabriella Zarcone (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) was hit by a pitch. Zarcone and Gleghorn's pinch-runner, freshman
Camryn Shenk (Rome, N.Y. / Camden), both got into scoring position with a double steal before coming home on a single to left field by junior shortstop
Shannon Gavigan (Havertown, Pa/Haverford).
The Blue Devils added another run in the top of the fifth as second baseman Skylar Warn and left fielder Sophia LoPiccolo registered back-to-back doubles to opposite corners of the outfield.
They broke the game open in the top of the sixth as they brought six runs home on five hits and four walks. Third baseman Stella Gasper hit the big shot, a grand slam to right field off sophomore
Danni Simpson (Marietta, Ga. / Sprayberry) who had inherited Nessman's base runners. Later in the inning, LoPiccolo drove in a run with a double to left field while shortstop Ava Cino brought a run home with a single through the left side off freshman
Adrianna Laraway (Colonie, N.Y. / Colonie).
Senior second baseman
Avery Linn (Bethpage, N.Y.) recorded a single to center field in the bottom of the sixth, but Le Moyne's offense was unable to work a comeback and fell, 12-4, in six innings against CCSU.
Gavigan's two RBI led the Dolphins' offense while Benderski's pair of hits were also a team-high.
Nessman allowed nine runs on nine hits and six walks while recording six strikeouts over 5.0 innings in the start. Simpson allowed three runs on three hits and one walk in 0.1 innings while Laraway closed out the final 0.2 innings, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out one CCSU batter.
What's Next:
The fourth-seeded Dolphins will travel to Brooklyn, N.Y. for day one of the NEC Softball Championship as they take on the #1 LIU Sharks at noon on Thursday, May 7.
