KISSIMMEE, Fla. (3/5/16) – The No. 16 Kean University softball team split on opening day in a pair of shutouts on Saturday. Kiele Eichlin twirled a one-hitter in the Cougars' season opener: a 14-0 five-inning victory over Mitchell College. Simpson College shut out the Cougars 7-0 in the day's second game.
Olivia Zengel led off the home half of the first inning with a line drive to centerfield. Though it was right at the Mitchell centerfielder, it had so much mustard on it the ball seemed to go right through her mitt and rolled to the fence. Zengel raced around all four bases and staked Kean to an early 1-0 lead.
Ally Tufaro singled with two outs, and Dana Knapp (pictured left) followed with a rip through the right side all the way to the fence for an RBI triple that made the score 2-0 after one.
The Cougars blew the game open in the second inning. Kean started the frame with six-straight hits. With the bases loaded, Emily Sabo stole home to make the score 8-0.
Ironically, Sabo's heads-up play cost Knapp a grand slam – on the next pitch she launched the ball deep over the centerfield fence for a three-run dinger. Kean would go on to plate 10 runs before an out was recorded in the second inning. In total, Kean scored 12 runs on 11 hits in the frame.
The defensive play of the game came from substitute second baseman Samantha Krakower, who ran down a soft line drive down the right field line to end the Mitchell fourth inning. The Cougars set the rest of the Mitchell lineup down in order to win 17-0.
Zengel, Knapp, Amanda Berezny, Katie Garbarino and Tiffany Varriello all had multiple-hit games for Kean in the season opener.
Eichlin struck out the first five batters she faced as a Cougar, and wound up tossing a one-hit shutout in her Kean debut. She struck out six batters and allowed just two baserunners: a single and a walk.
Kean seemed to have used up its daily allotted offense in the first game. Simpson's Riley Fisher carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and faced just four batters over the minimum 21. Zengel ruined Fisher's no- hit bid with a bunt single in the sixth.
Kean is now 1-1 on the year. The Storm rose to 8-3 and Mitchell was 1-2 after their tangle with the Cougars.
Kean will be back in action tomorrow against Coe College and Trine University beginning at 9 a.m.
