Brooklyn, N.Y. – The fourth-seeded Le Moyne College softball team traveled to #1 LIU for day one of the NEC Championships on Thursday. The Dolphins dropped their opening matchup with the Sharks, 7-2.
Le Moyne's offense put a baserunner in scoring position in each of the opening three frames with early-inning walks, but were unable to push them around to score each time.
LIU struck first in the bottom of the second inning as DP Gigi Clavel doubled through the left side off the Dolphins' sophomore starter
Isabella Kwashek (West Deptford, N.J. / West Deptford) before her pinch runner, Sarah Wall, was driven home via a single down the left field line off the bat of right fielder Nyae' Villalta.
The Sharks extended their lead to three runs in the bottom half of the third as left fielder Devon Medina singled to center field with one out before coming home after scoring on a wild pitch. Later in the inning, third baseman Jaedyn Lincoln doubled to left field to score first baseman Jen Rodriguez from third base.
The hosts extended their lead to 6-0 in the next inning as Medina registered a two-RBI double down the left field line before scoring on Rodriguez's single to the pitcher.
The Dolphins' offense broke through in the top of the fifth inning as senior second baseman
Avery Linn (Bethpage, N.Y.) reached on an infield single before coming all the way around to score on a two-out pinch-hit RBI double to right center from freshman
Elizabeth Gleghorn (West Henrietta, N.Y. / Rush-Henrietta).
One at-bat later, senior first baseman
Audrey Benderski (Spring Lake Park, Minn./Spring Lake Park) drove in sophomore center fielder
Maddie Martin (Carlisle, Pa. / Cumberland Valley), who re-entered for Gleghorn, with a single up the middle.
LIU tacked on their final run in their half of the inning off sophomore
Danni Simpson (Marietta, Ga. / Sprayberry), who appeared in relief of Kwashek in the circle, as shortstop Anais Soto reached on a fielder's choice before advancing to third and eventually scoring on Villalta's double to center field.
Le Moyne reached base twice in the final two innings but it wasn't enough to mount a comeback as the Dolphins fell, 7-2, in game one of the NEC Championships.
Offensively, four different Dolphins recorded a hit while five players reached on a walk in the tournament-opener.
Kwashek allowed six runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out two batters in 3.2 innings in the start for Le Moyne while Simpson finished out the final 2.1 innings in the circle allowing one run on five hits and two walks.
What's Next:
Le Moyne will take on #2 Central Connecticut State, who came up short against #3 Wagner on Thursday afternoon, in the second day of the NEC Championships at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.
