COLUMBUS, Ga. (3/11/16) – The No. 24 Kean University softball team dropped the opening two games of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Leadoff Classic on Friday in Columbus, Georgia.
Game Two vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
In the Kean third inning against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Erin Hollyfield walked with one out to start a rally. Caroline Ratti had a productive out to move Hollyfield to scoring position, and Olivia Zengel knocked an RBI single up the middle to plate the first run of the ballgame.
Cougar pitcher Shannon McMahon cruised for the first four innings. She allowed just two hits and faced just two batters over the minimum 12 after a Kean double play and a runner caught stealing by Katie Garbarino.
C-M-S scored a run on two hits in the top of the fifth inning. Tara Robinson shot a two-out, RBI single to left field to knot the game for the Athenas. But McMahon got the next hitter to ground out to Amanda Berezny at third to end the rally.
The Athenas pounded out four singles in the sixth to score one more run to take the lead. Carlene Roberts had the RBI hit in the inning for Claremont.
Kean left the bases loaded in the home half of the sixth in their best chance to tie the game. Anna Gurr earned her seventh win of the season and struck out 10 Cougars on the night, including the final two outs.
Emily Sabo went 3-4 in the game with three singles and the Cougars' only RBI.
McMahon (pictured left) took the tough luck loss. She struck out three in her complete-game effort.
Game One vs. Va. Wesleyan
The Cougars could not get any traction against No. 8 Virginia Wesleyan College in the opener. A rare pitching violation for rubbing dirt on the ball allowed the first run in, and three more runs in the opening frame made it 4-0 Marlins.
That remained the score until the fourth, when VWC plated two more runs to make the count 6-0.
Garbarino singled to right field to start the Kean fifth. Ratti walked to move pinch runner Sarah Vocisano to second, and she scored on Sabo's 2-out RBI single to make the score 6-0.
But the Marlins scored four more runs in the sixth, highlighted by a Jessica Lindsay homerun to reach the eight-run plateau. Pitcher Kandis Kresinske shut the Cougars down in the sixth to earn the complete-game victory.
The Cougars will play Birmingham-Southern College in the final round of pool play on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Kean's next opponent and time will be determined by their seeding in the tournament.
