The Stony Brook softball team was firing on all cylinders this weekend, scoring early and often en route to earning its third Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) series win of the season.
In the midst of a six-game road trip, the Seawolves (12-16, 7-5 CAA) were in Virginia, as they faced off against the Hampton Pirates (11-20, 3-9 CAA) in a three-game set. Stony Brook had an explosive offensive weekend, outscoring Hampton 32-1 during the series. The Seawolves took the series opener 9-1 on Friday before securing a 10-0 victory on Saturday. On Sunday, Stony Brook completed the sweep by run-ruling the Pirates in five innings.
To lead off game one, shortstop Kyra McFarland doubled to left field. After McFarland advanced to third base on a passed ball and center fielder Alyssa Costello drew a walk, they pulled off a successful double steal, as McFarland dashed home after Costello beat out the throw at second to give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead.
Following a quiet few innings, Stony Brook plated a pair of runs in the fourth. With a runner on and two outs, McFarland bunted a ball back to Hampton starting pitcher Angelina Branch, allowing right fielder Kaiya Simpkins to score all the way from first base. Immediately after, Costello ripped a double into the left-center field gap to extend the Seawolves’ lead to 3-0.
With two runners in scoring position and one out in the top of the fifth inning, catcher Emily Reinstein sent a sacrifice fly to center field. Following the run, the Pirates turned to reliever Leah Maduro, who did not escape unscathed. Head coach Megan Bryant responded by pinch-hitting for first baseman Malorie Hill, allowing left fielder Nicole Allen to pick up her first career run batted in (RBI) with a double into left-center field and make it 5-0.
Hampton got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning by finally stringing some hits together. With runners on the corners after consecutive singles and one out, center fielder Kylee Quinn drove in a run with another single off starting pitcher Crimson Rice, placing it just out of the reach of a diving third baseman Madelyn Stepski.
The run ended Rice’s day in the circle, who pitched to one run, three hits, two walks and two strikeouts across 4 ⅓ innings.
In the top of the sixth, more sloppy defense by the Pirates allowed the Seawolves to extend their lead. With McFarland standing on second base, Costello reached on an error by Maduro, allowing McFarland to score and make it 6-1. With two outs and Costello still at second, designated player Mia Vannelli came up to the plate and delivered a run-scoring single.
Stony Brook kept pouring it on from there. With runners on the corners in the top of the seventh inning, Costello hammered a two-RBI double into left-center field to stretch the Seawolves’ advantage to 9-1.
With a chance to end it, left-hander Gabrielle Maday worked a scoreless bottom of the seventh to seal the series-opening victory.
In relief of Rice, Maday surrendered just one hit and struck out two batters over 2 ⅔ innings of work.
Just like in the opener on Friday, Stony Brook scored early in game two in carbon-copy fashion, as it looked for the series-clinching win. With runners on the corners and two out, Stepski took off for second base. In the process, McFarland was able to come home and score, giving the Seawolves a 1-0 lead on another perfectly-executed double steal.
Now in the top of the third inning, the Pirates’ defense plagued them once again. With Costello on second base and one out, an error by second baseman Kylie Hill allowed Stepski to reach first base safely and Costello to come around to score, doubling the Seawolves’ lead.
Hill’s struggles continued in the top of the fifth inning. With Allen on first base and two outs, left fielder Emma Scheitinger entered the game to pinch-hit and sent a ball toward Hill, who committed another throwing error that scored Stony Brook’s third run of the contest.
After scoring here and there, Stony Brook firmly broke the game open in the top of the sixth inning. With two runners in scoring position and one out, Costello came to bat and hit a sacrifice fly into center field, making it 4-0.
Following her up, Allen banged an RBI single up the middle, which preceded an opposite-field, RBI double off Stepski’s bat. Two batters later, second baseman Naiah Ackerman dumped a run-scoring single into center field, extending her team’s lead to 7-0 and capping off the four-run frame.
Stony Brook added salt to the wound in the top of the seventh inning. With runners on first and second base, Allen stepped up to the dish and clubbed a three-run home run — her first homer at the collegiate level — over the right-field fence, to make it a 10 spot on the day.
In the bottom of the seventh, starting pitcher Maddie Male made fairly quick work of Hampton’s lineup, securing the win and complete-game shutout.
In the start, Male allowed six hits, struck out two batters and walked one over her seven scoreless frames.
Looking to earn the three-game sweep on Sunday, the Seawolves pummeled the Pirates early, posting an eight spot in the top of the first inning. With McFarland and Costello on second and third base, respectively, right off the bat, starting pitcher Ava Lester hurled a wild pitch for ball four against Allen, allowing McFarland to trot home with the game’s first run.
Immediately after, Lester plunked Vannelli to load the bases, prompting the Pirates to take Carmynn Bonner out of right field and put her into the circle before Lester even recorded an out. Upon entering the game, Stepski greeted Bonner by sending an RBI single into center field and during the ensuing at-bat, right fielder Marissa Thalassinos drew a walk with the bases still juiced to force in a run.
Reinstein followed by picking up an RBI on a fielder’s choice, and with two outs, Ackerman found a hole through the left side of the diamond and singled home another run. With another chance to bat in the inning, McFarland banged a triple off the center-field fence to drive in two more runs. Immediately after, Costello legged out an infield hit to make it 8-0.
Stony Brook continued its offensive onslaught two innings later. Reinstein led off the top of the third by hitting a hot-shot single to third base and with one away, Ackerman came up to the plate and crushed a two-run homer to dead center field, stretching the Seawolves’ lead to 10-0.
In the top of the fourth inning, Stony Brook bagged three more runs with a two-out rally. With Allen at third base, Thalassinos drove her in with an RBI single. Now with the bases loaded and Maduro on to pitch again, Ackerman and McFarland earned back-to-back free passes, forcing the 12th and 13th runs of the game in.
Rice — who started the finale — went back to the circle in the bottom of the fifth inning and pitched a 1-2-3 inning to earn the run-rule-shortened, complete-game shutout. In her start, she allowed just three hits while walking two batters across five innings.
In the series, McFarland went 7-for-12 with two doubles, a triple, three RBIs, eight runs scored, a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a steal, helping her earn CAA Player of the Week honors for a second straight week. She also extended her hitting streak to season-high 12 games.
Costello also excelled at the dish, going 5-for-12 with three doubles, five RBIs, three runs, a walk and a steal.
One Seawolf who had a breakout performance during the weekend was Allen, who recorded five hits in eight at-bats, including two doubles, a homer, five RBIs, five runs and two walks. Like McFarland, Allen was rewarded by the CAA, earning a Rookie of the Week nod.
Ackerman, Vannelli, Reinstein, Stepski and Thalassinos all had productive weekends as well. Ackerman went 3-for-10 with a home run, five RBIs, two runs and a walk, while Vannelli delivered two hits in eight at-bats with an RBI, a run, a walk, four hit-by-pitches and a steal.
Reinstein went 5-for-10 with two RBIs, three runs and a walk while Stepski went 3-for-12 with a double, two RBIs, two runs, a walk and a steal. Making the most of limited playing time, Thalassinos went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, four runs and three walks.
Stony Brook will look to extend its four-game winning streak on Wednesday in The Bronx, when it will face off against the Fordham Rams in a midweek, non-conference affair. The Rams are 16-16 this season and 7-2 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Over the weekend, they swept a three-game set against St. Bonaventure and are coming into the matchup on a five-game winning streak. First pitch on Wednesday is set for 3 p.m.
