The Stony Brook softball team split a doubleheader against America East rival UMBC Wednesday afternoon, losing game one 9-7 and winning game two 12-2 in five innings.
“It was great to see us take the same approach we had in the seventh inning of game one into game two and maintain it throughout the game,” head coach Megan T. Bryant said in a press release. “Taylor had a solid outing and it was important to close it out in five [innings].”
The Retrievers jumped to an early lead in the second game off an RBI groundout from senior shortstop Tori Alexander. Stony Brook took advantage of three consecutive UMBC errors to jump out to a 5-1 lead in the top of the second inning. Freshman second baseman Nicole McCarvill hit a single to center field in the top of the third, driving in sophomore pitcher Taylor Pechin and junior centerfielder Katelyn Corr to extend the lead to 7-1.
The Seawolves continued the offensive onslaught in the top of the fourth inning as Corr doubled to left center and drove in junior catcher Irene Rivera and sophomore first baseman Melissa Rahrich. Junior designated hitter Lindsey Hughes singled up the middle and drove in Corr in the following at bat to give Stony Brook a 10-1 lead.
The Retrievers attempted a comeback in the bottom of the fourth when Alexander scored to cut the lead to eight, but it was the closest they would get. Sophomore third baseman Riley Craig singled to the right side to score her fourth and fifth runner of the game and give the Seawolves a 12-2 lead. UMBC was unable to score in the bottom of the fifth and dropped the game via mercy rule.
The Retrievers’ offense was much more active in the first game of the double header, jumping out to a three-run lead in the bottom of the third. Corr responded with a two-run home run in the top of the fourth, cutting the deficit to one run for the Seawolves. Stony Brook attempted to tie the game after Craig reached second on a wild pitch, but the team was unable to bring the tying run home.
UMBC senior third baseman Carly Lesko extended the lead to 6-2 with a two-run home run over the right field wall in the bottom of the sixth. The home run knocked Rahrich out of the game after she gave up six runs and eight hits in 4.1 innings of action. The Retrievers extended their lead to 9-2 in the bottom of the sixth despite the pitching change.
The Seawolves offense lit up in the top of the seventh, with three runners reaching base to begin the inning. Rivera took advantage of the scoring opportunity and crushed a grand slam over the centerfield wall to cut the score to 9-6. Corr doubled to right center, driving in Pechin and cutting the lead to two, the closest the Seawolves got to tying the game.
The Seawolves will remain on the road this weekend for a series of conference games against Binghamton, beginning on Saturday, April 14 in Ithaca, New York. The teams will play in a doubleheader scheduled to start at 12 p.m.
