NAPLES, Fla. – The Curry College softball team halved their fifth day in Florida with their largest win and narrowest loss of the season. After beating Brockport 16-6 with the run-ahead rule after five innings, the Colonels' afternoon comeback effort fell short in a 5-4 loss to SUNY Canton. Both games were played on field #3 at the North Collier Regional Park in Naples, Fla.
Game One: Curry 16, Brockport 6 (Final/5 Innings)
Through their first five games of their spring break trip, the Colonels had scored 19 of their 40 runs in the first inning, but failed to score in the first over their next three contests. They would buck that trend against Brockport, however, as Curry went up 9-0 in the top of the first. Curry sent 16 batters to the plate in the frame, capitalizing on six walks and four hits to take the early lead. In the bottom of the inning, the Golden Eagles got three runs of their own, drawing three bases on balls, but stranded a pair of runners as the first inning ended with Curry up 9-3. As the Colonels got back on offense, they saw three walks and an error start the inning, which drove in Kiana Lloyd (Worcester, Mass.) for their tenth run of the day and loaded the bases with no outs. After Taylor Newcomb (Millville, Mass.) was retired at home on a force out, a sac fly and misplayed fielder's choice brought two more Curry runs across the plate to bring the lead back to nine at 12-3. Brockport got one back thanks to a two out RBI double off the bat of Casey Danko (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), but Allison May (West Bridgewater, Mass.) managed to force a ground out to get end the inning. Brockport kept swinging in the third, earning another pair of runs to cut the lead to 12-6, but three Colonel runs in the top of the fourth and one more in the fifth put the Golden Eagles down 16-6 with their backs against the wall.
Needing three runs to extend the game another inning, Brockport refused to roll over, as Molly Ryan (Middle Island, N.Y.) led off the inning with a single. The Golden Eagles then sent a pair of pinch hitters to the plate, but both returned to the bench by way of the K. Down to their last out, Brockport got a pair of runners in scoring position after a steal, a single, and a wild pitch, but Newcomb, on in relief, left them where they were, getting Meghan Cullen (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) to ground out to third to secure the shortened victory by a score of 16-6 after five innings.
Despite the scoring outburst, just one Colonel managed to record multiple hits, as Jordan Perzan (Burlington, Conn.) went 2-for-3. Eight members of the starting lineup drew at least one walk, however, as the team got 14 free bases in the contest, highlighted by three from Jocelyn Dimond (Weare, N.H.) and four drawn by Newcomb. Caroline Johnson (Milton, Mass.) also had a productive day at the plate, driving in three while going 1-for-1 with a walk. May earns her second straight win with two innings of work, while Newcomb closed out the Golden Eagles with a pair of strikeouts over the final three frames.
Brockport used four pitchers in this one, but it's Julia Palopoli (Hauppauge, N.Y.) who gets the loss, after giving up five earned and recording just one out in her first start of the year. Jessica Koneski (Fairport, N.Y.) went 2-for-3 in the losing effort while Kacie Hubbard (Cortland, N.Y.) picked up a pair of RBI.
Brockport opened the season in the loss column, but evened to 1-1 later in the day with a 6-2 win over Western Connecticut State. The Golden Eagles will continue their Florida slate with another double-header tomorrow, facing Crown College at 9 a.m. before an 11 a.m. match up with Pitt-Bradford. Both games will be played on field #1 at the CenturyLink Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla.
Game Two: SUNY Canton 5, Curry 4
This game marked the tenth and final contest of the trip for both teams, as the Colonels came in at 5-4 and the Kangaroos of SUNY Canton entered at 2-7. Canton got the scoring started in the top of the third, as a Kayla Chavarri (Pawling, N.Y.) double brought home Selena Tasli (Shirley, N.Y.) to take a 1-0 lead. After Curry went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, the Roos tacked on two more in the fourth, highlighted by a double steal which pushed Alicia Evans (Watertown, N.Y.) across the plate. With pitcher Alaina Beane (Munnsville, N.Y.) clicking on all cylinders, Canton continued to support her with the bats, driving in another pair of runs in the fifth to make the lead 5-0.
The Colonels broke through in their half of the fifth, however, driving in three unearned runs to capitalize on five Canton errors in the frame. With the lead down to two, Carrigan Costello (Wolcott, Conn.) allowed just three hits and no walks over the sixth and seventh innings, keeping the score at 5-3 and giving her offense a chance to complete the comeback. In the bottom of the seventh and down to their last outs, it looked like the Colonels would do just that, as Lloyd led off the frame with the Colonels' first home run of the year to bring the deficit down to one. Newcomb reached base soon after on an error to keep the wheels turning, but the base runner and momentum were soon eliminated as a liner turned into a double play as Newcomb got picked off first, before a strikeout closed out the tilt in favor of SUNY Canton.
No Colonel managed more than a single hit, but Dimond and Lloyd both reached base twice with a hit and a walk. Costello moves to 2-3 on the year after the complete game loss that saw her give up four earned runs over seven while striking out a pair. On the other side, Beane earns her first win of the year (1-3), striking out two and giving up just one earned in the complete game effort. Shaylyn DeVito (Russell, N.Y.) and Evans posted two hits each, while Valerie Clark (Pendleton, N.Y.) went 3-for-4 at the plate. Tasli came home twice while Evans scored two runs of her own while also registering a pair of RBI.
After the victory, the Roos' record improves to 3-7 on the year while the Colonels go to 5-5 overall after a 1-1 day. Curry will enjoy some much-deserved rest before returning to action on Wednesday, March 20 for a road double-header against Dean. The first game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. in Franklin, Mass. Canton's time in Florida also comes to a close, as their next contests will be in Aurora, N.Y. at Wells College. This non-conference double-header will start at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 24.
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