Softball Drops Pair of Tough
One-Run Games
POMONA, N.J. (4/22/08) - The Kean University
softball team dropped a pair of heartbreaking, one-run games to
host Richard Stockton College on Tuesday afternoon in New Jersey
Athletic Conference action.
The Ospreys (23-13, 7-9 NJAC) rallied to win the opener, 6-5, in
eight innings, before earning the sweep over the Cougars (25-11,
9-7) with the 3-2 victory in the nightcap.
Senior Katie Hicks (Medford Lakes, N.J.) had a
combined four hits in the doubleheader.
GAME ONE: Ospreys Rally for 6-5
Victory
In the opener, Jessica Sneddon (Nutley, N.J.) was
4-of-4 and ripped a walk-off triple that drove in the game-tying
and game-winning runs in the bottom of the eighth innings.
The Cougars built a 4-1 lead after scoring two runs apiece in
the 
second and fifth innings, as junior Jesse Buchanan
(Washington Twp., N.J.) and Sara Steinman
(Springfield, N.J.) each had RBI singles.
Richard Stockton erased the three-run deficit in the bottom of
the seventh inning, as
Danielle Accardi (East Brunswick, N.J.) drove in two
runs with a single and Kelly Dodd (Linwood, N.J.) had an
RBI single to tie the game and force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, senior first baseman Katie
Hicks (pictured right) stroked an RBI single to drive in
senior shortstop Johanna Hedler (South Plainfield,
N.J.) with the international tiebreaker rule in effect to
give Kean a 5-4 lead.
After Lindsay Connell (Rahway, N.J.) was placed on
second-base to start the inning for the Ospreys, Melissa
Baumgartner (Ephraim, N.J.) reached on a fielder's choice,
advancing Connell to third base. Sneddon followed with the
game-winning triple to drive in both runs to lift the Ospreys to
the 6-5 victory.
For Kean, Hicks and Buchanan each finished 3-of-4 with one RBI
each, while Hicks also added a run scored. Steinman added two
hits, one run and one RBI for the Cougars.
GAME TWO: Ospreys Hang on for 3-2 Victory in
Nightcap
Sophomore centerfielder Allison Lizzi (Cherry Hill,
N.J.) went 2-of-3 with one RBI, however the Cougars fell
to Richard Stockton, 3-2, in the nightcap.
After Stockton took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a
RBI triple by Samantha Horner (Newfield, N.J.) and RBI
single by Natalie Berrios (Vineland, N.J.), the Cougars
tied the game an inning later when Lizzi (pictured left) had a RBI
single and senior Johanna Hedler drew a
bases-loaded walk.
In the top of the fifth inning, Danielle Accardi drove
in the go-ahead run for Stockton and then held the Cougars in check
on the mound to complete the sweep.
Accardi earned the complete game victory, allowing just one
earned run on seven hits and three strikeouts.
The Cougars travel to FDU-Florham for a non-conference twinbill
on Thursday, April 24, at 3 p.m.
