After having its midweek doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday canceled, the Stony Brook softball team made up for lost time with two more nonconference wins.
On Thursday, the Seawolves (15-20, 3-11 CAA) traveled to the Bronx, N.Y. to take on the Manhattan Jaspers for a midweek doubleheader. Stony Brook dominated the first half of the doubleheader 6-2 before securing the sweep with a 5-3 win in game two.
Stony Brook’s recent trend of stellar starting pitching continued, as starting pitchers Ashton Melaas and Mia Haynes were both dominant in the circle.
Melaas started game one and gave the team seven solid innings while only allowing two earned runs on five hits. She issued no walks while striking out two. Melaas has allowed only five earned runs over her last four starts, dropping her ERA to a sparkling 2.99 on the season.
Game one started off as a pitching duel with Melaas and Manhattan starting pitcher Mollie Charest each shutting the door on the opposing lineup through the first four innings. However, in the top of the fifth inning, Stony Brook blew the game wide open.
Following a leadoff double by second baseman Sofia Chambers, center fielder Alicia Orosco singled her home. Later in the inning, right fielder Catherine Anne Kupinski ripped a double into the left-field gap to extend the Seawolves’ lead to 2-0. With two runners still on base, first baseman Ashley Jacobson followed Kupinski with a two-run triple.
After the four-run onslaught, Charest was pulled from the game and replaced by relief pitcher Sophia Kiseloski, who did not fare much better. Kiseloski was rudely welcomed into the game when left fielder Alyssa Costello sent a two-run home run over the right-center field wall to make it 6-0.
Melaas took a shutout into the bottom of the seventh inning, but saw it broken up by a two-run homer from Manhattan third baseman Maddy Weir. She bounced back by retiring the next two hitters to put the game away.
Unlike the first game, Stony Brook struck early in game two. In the top of the first inning, the Seawolves were gifted a run after Weir and Manhattan starting pitcher Makayla Veneziale committed a pair of fielding errors on routine bunts from Orosco and Costello.
The score remained the same until the top of the fifth inning when Orosco and Costello combined once again to extend Stony Brook’s slim lead. A one-out double by Orosco set up Costello for an RBI single into right field, making it a 2-0 ballgame.
Stony Brook was finally able to put the game to bed in the top of the sixth inning when it erupted for three runs. Catcher Emily Reinstein started the offensive outburst off when she ripped a solo home run to left to make it 3-0.
Following the home run, a walk chased Veneziale from the game in favor of Manhattan relief pitcher Marika Deemer. Like the game prior, the Seawolves gave Manhattan’s reliever no breathing room to work with.
Deemer immediately allowed three consecutive singles; the third of which was an RBI single from Orosco. A sacrifice fly by shortstop Naiah Ackerman completed Stony Brook’s three-run sixth inning to make it 5-0.
Similar to Melaas, Haynes also had a shutout going into the bottom of the seventh inning. This time, it was broken up with an RBI single from Manhattan second baseman Kaitlyn Flood. Haynes allowed two more runs in the inning before finally shutting the door to capture a 5-3 victory.
Haynes allowed just three runs on three hits while also hitting one batter. She struck out six batters without walking any.
Costello went 3-for-7 on the day with a home run, three RBIs and one run scored. After an up-and-down start to the season, Costello now has raised her batting average to .303 for the year after hitting .382 along with 12 RBIs over her last 11 games.
Orosco was very effective in setting the table for Stony Brook’s lineup. Orosco went 5-for-8 with a double, two RBIs, three runs scored and a stolen base during the doubleheader.
Head coach Megan Bryant was thrilled with her team’s performance following the sweep.
“It was great to put together two well-played and complete ballgames,” Bryant said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We were productive offensively, played great defense and Ashton and Mia were terrific in the circle. Our focus and synergy never wavered.”
The Seawolves are getting a break from conference play this weekend, as they return to University Field to host another two nonconference opponents. On Saturday, they will host the Providence Friars at noon. The Friars are just 11-23 on the season and are coming into this matchup having lost 12 of their last 15 games.
On Sunday, Stony Brook will host the Army Black Knights in a doubleheader, with the games beginning at 1 and 3 p.m. respectively. The Black Knights are 16-25 on the year after being swept in a doubleheader by Siena on Thursday.
