After dropping the first three games of the weekend, the Stony Brook softball team salvaged the Spring in the Springs Invitational with back-to-back wins.

The Seawolves (3-9) played in the Spring in the Springs Invitational at Brinkley Softball Stadium in Boiling Springs, N.C. this past weekend. Throughout the tournament, which was hosted by the Gardner-Webb University Runnin’ Bulldogs (10-9), Stony Brook had a difficult time producing consistent offense.

To start the weekend on Friday, the Seawolves were shut out 7-0 by the Chattanooga Mocs (13-7) before falling to Gardner-Webb by a score of 7-3 later that night. Stony Brook then blew a 4-1 lead in an eventual 7-5 loss in a rematch with Chattanooga on Saturday morning. However, the Seawolves finished the weekend with consecutive wins against the Indiana University Indianapolis (IU Indy) Jaguars (3-13). Saturday afternoon, they beat IU Indy 6-1 before completing the weekend with a 9-5 victory on Sunday morning.

In the first of two games for Stony Brook on Friday, the Mocs got to starting pitcher Gabrielle Maday in the top of the first inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, Chattanooga first baseman Acelynn Sellers sent a sacrifice fly to left field before designated player Presley Williamson brought another run home after an error by third baseman Madelyn Stepski.

During the ensuing at-bat, catcher Jayce Purdy delivered another sacrifice fly to cap off the Mocs’ three-run first inning.

After the Seawolves stranded a pair of runners in the bottom of the first, Maday had another difficult inning in the second, as Chattanooga third baseman Olivia Lipari drove in two runs on a double to right-center field. Right-handed reliever Jordyn Fray entered the game to pick Maday up, but one of her inherited runners scored on a fielding error by first baseman Crimson Rice stretching Stony Brook’s deficit to 6-0. 

Maday’s final line was not pretty, as she went an inning plus, allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits and three walks.

Following a double to lead off the third inning, second baseman Zoe Wright picked up a run batted in (RBI) on an infield single to extend the Mocs’ lead to 7-0.

In relief, Fray and left-hander Maddie Male combined to pitch for the remaining six innings, allowing just one run, five hits and three walks. However, that was Stony Brook’s lone bright spot, as it never got back in the game and struggled to generate much offense against Chattanooga starting pitcher Peja Goold, who picked up 14 strikeouts during a complete-game shutout.

During the nightcap of Friday’s doubleheader against the Bulldogs, the Seawolves had a chance to strike first but squandered the chance. With runners on first and third base and two outs in the top of the first inning, Gardner-Webb starting pitcher Hannah Frye stymied their opportunity, striking out catcher Emily Reinstein swinging.

In the bottom of the frame, the Bulldogs jumped on Male, as they began the inning with three straight singles, highlighted by an RBI knock from catcher Jailyn Tineo to give Gardner-Webb a 1-0 lead. Two batters later, third baseman Araceli Pesqueira also got in on the early offense, driving in another run with a single up the middle.

In the top of the third inning, Stony Brook finally broke through offensively for its first runs of the weekend. After leading off the inning with a single, second baseman Daniella Sofia eventually scored on a passed ball. With two outs, Stepski came through and delivered a two-run single, giving the Seawolves a 3-2 lead.

However, Stony Brook’s lead did not even last half an inning. With a runner on second base and one out, shortstop Ella Christopher doubled in second baseman Annicka McLaughlin to tie the game at three apiece

For the Seawolves, the game quickly got out of hand in the bottom of the fourth inning. A leadoff single by first baseman Bella Ligotti ended Male’s evening and Fray unraveled in relief, sandwiching a hit-by-pitch between two walks to force in the go-ahead run. 

With pinch hitter Carmen McRae at the plate for the next at-bat, she delivered a two-RBI single to left field. As the wheels fell off for Fray, Rice headed to the circle in relief and surrendered a run-scoring single off Tineo’s bat, which made it 7-3 to cap off a disastrous frame for the Seawolves.

As the Seawolves entered the top of the seventh trailing by four runs, shortstop Kyra McFarland led off the inning by hitting a single to second base, looking to rally her team. However, Frye held Stony Brook right there, as she retired the next three batters in order to earn the complete-game victory.

“Game one, we looked like a team that hadn’t played in two weeks,” head coach Megan Bryant said in a postgame interview with Stony Brook Athletics. “Game two, we had better approaches at the plate and were sharper defensively, so we need to carry that into tomorrow. We have to cut down on our free bases as well.”

In game two, Male threw for three innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. In relief, Fray allowed just a single hit but walked two batters and hit one en route to surrendering three runs without recording an out. Rice had a strong outing, pitching to three shutout innings on two hits, a walk and three punchouts.

In hopes of bouncing back on Saturday morning, Stony Brook got off to a hot start during its rematch with the Mocs.

After the Seawolves’ first three batters reached in the top of the first inning, center fielder Costello drew a walk to force in a run and Stepski followed with an RBI single off starting pitcher Alyssa Lavdis. Following a strikeout to break the streak of batters reaching base, Reinstein drew another bases-loaded walk to extend Stony Brook’s advantage to 3-0.

With Rice in the circle for her first start of the weekend, Sellers notched an RBI triple to right field, scoring center fielder Camryn Cernuto to cut the Seawolves’ lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the first.

Stony Brook added to its lead in the top of the second, as its third bases-loaded walk in two innings was drawn by Stepski to bring the Seawolves ahead 4-1 and chase Lavdis out of the game after just 1 ⅓ innings pitched.

Right-hander Riley Lamb entered the game in relief with the bases loaded and just one out, but she brilliantly navigated through trouble. Lamb forced right fielder Kaiya Simpkins to pop out before getting Reinstein to fly out to end the inning and prevent further damage.

The bottom of the fifth inning was a disaster for the Seawolves, as Chattanooga had an offensive explosion. An RBI single by Cernuto scored Wright, bringing the Mocs two runs closer, and Cernuto then came around to score on a double by Lipari to cut the Seawolves’ lead to 4-3 and bring Male out of the bullpen.

Immediately greeting Male, Sellers reached on an error by Simpkins, which allowed her to advance to third base and bring Lipari home to tie the game at four apiece. That run closed the book on Rice’s outing, as she pitched to four runs on six hits and two walks across 4 ⅓ innings. 

Following Sellers, Williamson put the Mocs in the lead with a run-scoring double. With two gone, left fielder Raven Jones hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line to extend Chattanooga’s lead to 6-4.

In the top of the sixth inning, McFarland led things off with an infield single to second base, setting the stage for Costello to knock an RBI double into the right-center field gap to cut Stony Brook’s deficit to one run. Nonetheless, Lamb halted the Seawolves from evening up the score after she forced Stepski to ground out to end the frame.

In its attempt to hold the Mocs’ lead at 6-5, Stony Brook failed. Wright led off the bottom of the sixth inning by tripling to left-center field and shortstop Kailey Snell immediately drove her in with a sacrifice fly to provide Chattanooga with an insurance run.

Out of the bullpen, Male pitched to three runs (two earned), four walks and a strikeout. Maday faced just a single batter and got the out to close out the sixth.

With Stony Brook looking to mount a comeback in the top of the seventh inning, the Seawolves knocked Lamb out of the game by loading up the bases with one away. However, right-hander Taylor Long masterfully escaped the jam by striking out the top two hitters in the Seawolves’ order — McFarland and left fielder Marissa Thalassinos — to close out the game and earn the save.

Stony Brook entered its second game on Saturday looking to snap their nine-game losing streak as it faced off against the Jaguars. Leading off the top of the second inning, Costello blasted a pitch from IU Indy starter Lily Roush over the right-field fence, giving the Seawolves a 1-0 lead on her second home run of the season. 

In the top of the third inning, Stony Brook got crafty to stretch its lead out. With runners at the corners and one out, the Seawolves orchestrated a double steal, with McFarland swiping second base and first baseman Malorie Hill making a dash for home. With two outs, catcher Mia Vannelli drove in McFarland with a run-scoring single to left field, making it 3-0.

Stony Brook tacked on in the top of the fourth inning, as Reinstein drove in a run with a double to right-center field, knocking Roush out of the game. With right-hander Alexa Holman on in relief, she gave up an RBI single to second baseman Naiah Ackerman.

The Jaguars loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth inning and looked to break through. At the dish to pinch hit, catcher Reese Rosenbaum got IU Indy on the board by sending a sacrifice fly into foul territory in right field.

Leading 5-1 in the top of the seventh inning, the Seawolves padded their lead. McFarland continued her hot-hitting ways, as she led off the inning with a double to right field. Two batters later, Costello found a hole through the right side and brought McFarland home with an RBI single.

In the bottom of the seventh, Maday was able to strand a runner to earn the win. In a polar-opposite performance from Friday’s start, Maday delivered a complete game, surrendering a run on four hits, two walks, a hit-by-pitch and two whiffs. 

“We came out in game one with better approaches at the plate and sharper defense,” Bryant said. “[Rice] gave us a chance to win it, but we let that one get away. It was great to see us regroup and come back to win against IU Indy with a solid effort in all three parts of our game.”

Hoping to repeat the success of Saturday afternoon’s game, the Seawolves completed a sweep of IU Indy on Sunday morning to finish the weekend strong.

The Jaguars got off to a fast start in the top of the first inning against Rice. Following a leadoff double, third baseman Molly Kable followed with a double of her own down the left-field line to make it 1-0. With two outs and Kable now standing on third base, right fielder Kennedy Cowan scored her with an RBI single.

In the top of the second inning, Rice set down the side in order, allowing the Seawolves to cut their deficit in half in the bottom of the frame when Reinstein made it 2-1 on a safety squeeze.

With one out and a runner in scoring position in the top of the third inning, Kable reestablished the Jaguars’ two-run lead by driving an RBI single into right field.

The bottom of the third was a big inning for the Seawolves. With first and second base occupied and just one out, Costello came up to the plate and legged out a three-run, inside-the-park home run, pulling Stony Brook ahead 4-3.

IU Indy drew even with the Seawolves in the top of the fifth inning via a familiar foe. Following an infield single with one out. Kable stepped up to the plate and came through with a game-tying, RBI triple.

However, a rally in the bottom of the fifth inning put the Seawolves back in front. With two gone and the bases juiced. It looked like the Jaguars were going to get out of the frame unscathed, but a fielding error by Holman allowed Hill to reach first and Vannelli to score.

Following the gift, Ackerman was the next to bat in a huge spot for Stony Brook and she brought the hammer down, lacing a bases-clearing double into the left-center field gap to extend her team’s advantage to 8-4.

With reliever Clara Phariss in the circle for IU Indy after Ackerman’s big blow, McFarland followed up with an extra-base hit of her own, as she knocked an opposite-field triple into left center to score Ackerman and make it 9-4.

In relief for Rice, who pitched to four runs (three earned), seven hits, two walks and a strikeout across five innings, Maday looked to close out the Jaguars in the top of the seventh. With the bases full and one out, first baseman Lexi Gordan notched an RBI groundout to inch a bit closer, but Maday got center fielder Isabelle Waggner to pop out to seal the victory. 

With the win, Stony Brook earned its first consecutive victories of the season, while Rice also picked up her first collegiate win. Maday was rock solid in relief as well, allowing just an unearned run while navigating through four walks and a hit in two innings.

“This was a well-earned team win to finish the weekend strong,” Bryant said. “We played with poise, executed well offensively and played solid defense to back up our pitchers. We had great synergy and that is important to our growth as a young team.”

At the plate, Costello and McFarland led the way for Stony Brook. Costello went 8-for-16 with two doubles, two homers, seven RBIs, four runs scored and three walks. In the leadoff spot, McFarland went 11-for-20 with a double, three triples, an RBI, eight runs, a walk, hit-by-pitch and two steals.

Ackerman was moved down to the bottom of the order but responded well. The junior went 3-for-8 with a double, four RBIs and a run. Stepski had a nice weekend, going 6-for-12 with four RBIs, a run, three walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Despite going just 1-for-14, Vannelli scored three runs and notched an RBI while drawing four walks and getting hit by a pitch. Reinstein went 3-for-12 with a double, three RBIs, two runs and three walks.

Looking ahead to this weekend, the Seawolves will begin Coastal Athletic Association play starting on Friday, as they will face off against the Towson Tigers in Maryland. The Tigers are 5-10 this season and went 2-2 in the Towson DeMarini Tiger Clash this past weekend. Before the three-game set, Towson will face Maryland Eastern Shore at home on Tuesday before taking on George Mason on Wednesday in Fairfax, Va. First pitch on Friday and Saturday are both set for 2 p.m. The series will conclude with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday.