The Stony Brook softball team rode a fifth-inning offensive explosion to earn its 17th consecutive win in comeback fashion.
After sweeping Drexel at home this past weekend, the Seawolves (30-13, 15-6 CAA) made the short trip to New Rochelle, N.Y. on Tuesday to take on the Iona Gaels (14-24, 11-8 MAAC). Stony Brook rode a big fifth inning along with a clutch relief appearance from Mia Haynes to an 8-6 victory.
After the Seawolves left runners at the corners twice in the first three frames, Iona broke through in the bottom half of the third.
With a runner on third and two outs, the Gaels shortstop Hailey Guerrero hurt her former team by lofting a two-strike breaking ball over the left field wall for a home run. In the following at-bat, catcher Jamie Sheeran cranked another homer to left field, to extend the Iona lead to 3-0.
Stony Brook head coach Megan Bryant responded by pulling starting pitcher Ashton Melaas in favor of reliever Gabrielle Maday. After escaping the third, Maday surrendered another long ball to the Gaels in the fourth. This time it was second baseman Brianna Bailey who blasted a two-run shot to left, extending their lead to 5-0.
Despite the large deficit, the Seawolves exploded in the fifth inning to put themselves ahead. Stony Brook loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch, a bunt single, and a walk with one out. Gaels’ starting pitcher Alyssa DeJianne then hit both left fielder Julianna Sanzone and shortstop Naiah Ackerman to bring home the first two Seawolves runs. First baseman Chloe Montalvo followed by smacking a grounder up the middle to score another two and knock DeJianne out of the game.
Looking to get out of the inning with the lead still intact, reliever Dani Beckham retired her first assignment but promptly surrendered a two-out single to right fielder Alyssa Costello to knot the game at five. Now with runners at the corners, center fielder Alicia Orosco turned on a high-and-in pitch, one-hopping the wall and going for three bases. The triple scored a pair and gave Stony Brook a 7-5 lead before the inning’s end.
Bryant praised her team’s adjustments at the plate that led to the game-altering rally.
“It was good to see us turn this game around and do what we needed to do to win the ballgame,” Bryant said in an interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “We got back to playing with intent and being productive offensively.”
Now holding the lead, Bryant turned to her ace out of the bullpen, calling on Haynes to get the final nine outs. Sheeran capitalized on a leadoff walk by smoking an RBI double to the right-center gap, putting her team back within one run. However, Haynes would quench the fire before Stony Brook would pad its lead back in the sixth. With two out in the road half, Sanzone belted a solo shot to extend the lead to 8-6.
From there, Haynes settled in and was lights out to finish the game. Across the final two innings, did not allow a baserunner while inducing five groundouts to complete the three-inning save.
Overall, the pitching performances were inconsistent from the Seawolves, with starter Melaas surrendering three runs on five hits while striking out two in 2 ⅔ innings of work. She was snakebitten by the extra base hit, allowing a double and two long balls. Maday earned the win despite faring similarly, going only 1 ⅓ innings out of the bullpen and giving up two runs. The lefty allowed only two hits but served up a two-run home run. Haynes did not fall victim to the long ball, allowing a run on one hit and a walk while striking out two batters in three innings.
At the dish, multiple batters had excellent games for Stony Brook.
From the leadoff spot, Orosco went 2-4 with a triple, two RBIs, a run scored and a hit-by-pitch. Third baseman Kyra McFarland extended her hitting streak to 19 games, going 2-3 with a walk. Sanzone went 2-2 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Montalvo went 2-3 while driving in two runs.
With their last non-conference matchup out of the way, the Seawolves will look ahead to this weekend’s matchup against the Elon Phoenix on home turf at University Field. The Phoenix have gone 19-25 this season and are 13-9 in Coastal Athletic Association play after a sweep against Hampton. First pitch for Friday’s series opener is set for 1 p.m.
