LEESBURG, Pa. – The Arcadia University softball team opened the 2017 campaign in the Sunshine State, defeating Concordia (WI) 6-3 in the day's second game after falling to Susquehanna 6-5 in eight innings in the opener.
FOR THE RECORD: The Knights are 1-1 following two of 10 games to be played in Leesburg, Florida. Susquehanna sits at 2-2 after also defeating SUNY Geneseo today. Concordia sits at 5-3 on the season after also falling to Wisconsin-River Falls 4-1 earlier in the day.
ARCADIA 6, CONCORDIA (WI) 3
HOW IT HAPPENED: Freshman
Bekah Good opened the scoring in the top of the third inning when she crossed the plate on a double to center from classmate
Kylee Schwind. Schwind scored two batters later, when sophomore
Kristin Cancelliere sent a one-out single up the middle. The next inning, junior
Kaylee Zarick stepped into the batter's box with the bases loaded and one-out, sending an 0-1 pitch to left center for an RBI single scoring freshman
Mary Pat Murray. Two batters later, sophomore
Jackie Bilotti ripped a two-RBI double to score classmate
Kayla Resh and Good.
The Knights added one more in the top of the fifth, before the Falcons plated their first runs of the game. Concordia plated its first run on a SAC fly that also advanced a runner to third. That runner crossed the dish when Maddie Zazas singled in the next at-bat. A lead-off solo home run from Carly Sobrilsky in the top of the sixth would be the last run of the game.
ARCADIA LEADERS: Good, Murray and Zarick all went 2-3 in the game, while five other Knights registered a hit. Bilotti led the way with two RBI, while Good crossed the plate twice.
CONCORDIA LEADERS: Molly O'Connell and Allison Peters each registered two base knocks for the Falcons, while Peters, Zazas and Sobrilsky each registered and RBI.
IN THE CIRCLE: Schwind picked up her first career win in her first collegiate start, allowing three runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts over seven innings of work. O'Connell suffered the loss, allowing five runs on nine hits with one strikeout in four innings of action.
SUSQUEHANNA 6, ARCADIA 5 (8 INNINGS)
HOW IT HAPPENED: The River Hawks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Lauren Creamer sent a two-out single to center to plate Emily Lear in the top of the first inning. The Knights retaliated in the bottom of the third on a two-out double from Bilotti to plate Good, who led off the inning with a single before stealing second. A one-out grand slam from Kelly Miller put Susquehanna up 5-1 in the next half inning.
Cancelliere cut the deficit to 5-3 when she sent a two-out, 0-1 pitch over the left field wall for a two-run bomb, the first of her career, plating junior
Marissa Mancinelli. After freshman
Tori Zangrilli led off the bottom of the sixth with a double to left center on a full count, junior
Amanda Hess swapped places with her sending a double of her own down the left field line.
After holding the River Hawks scoreless in the top of the seventh, Murray came to the plate to lead off the bottom of the seventh as a pinch hitter for her first career at-bat, only to send an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left center for her first collegiate round-tripper to tie the game at five. With the international tiebreak rule in effect in the top of the eighth, Susquehanna bunted Emilie Boman to third on a sacrifice, before she scored on an error by the third baseman.
ARCADIA LEADERS: Cancelliere and Hess each went 2-4 at the dish to lead the Knights. The former drove in a pair of runs and scored once, with the latter registering an RBI.
SUSQUEHANNA LEADERS: Lear, Boman and Leigh Ann Greenwald all went 2-4 for Susquehanna, though Miller's four-RBI were a game high.
ON THE HILL: Resh took the loss for Arcadia, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts in eight innings of work. Alexa Gonzalez got the win in relief, throwing two scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout. Jamie Fesinstine got the start, allowing five runs on nine hits with a walk and eight strikeouts in six innings of action.
