Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Hamilton College softball team lost a doubleheader to the visiting Utica College Pioneers in non-conference action from Hamilton's Ferguson Field Wednesday. The visitors won game one 10-4 and were 3-1 winners in the nightcap.
The Continentals, who honored their only senior -- two-time all-region outfielder Olivia Gozdz '16 -- before the game, are now 10-19 on the season; the Pioneers improved to 19-13.
Hamilton held a pair of leads in the opener – 2-0 after one and 4-2 after three – before the Pioneers scored eight times between the fourth and sixth innings.
In the bottom of the first the Continentals pushed across a pair of runs after Liz Brautigam '19 singled and Gozdz was hit by a pitch. The two pulled off a double steal and both scored on a ground ball that went two-thirds of the way up the first base line: Delaney Nicol '19, the batter, was tagged out by the first baseman but eluded the tag long enough for Brautigam to break for home and when the throw to the plate got past the catcher, Gozdz scored as well.
After Utica strung together three hits and a walk to tie the game with two third-inning runs, the hosts regained the lead on a two-out rally. Gozdz beat out a single to shortstop and reached third on Nicol's single to left. Both runners scored on a sky-high pop-up by Daphne Assimakopoulos '17 that was dropped by a Utica infielder.
Gozdz and Hannah Staab '17 both had two of Hamilton's eight hits.
A three-run rally in the fourth gave Utica the lead for good. Alyssa Russell, Stephanie Siriano and Sabrina Stransky each singled in a run.
Two innings later Stransky singled in a pair of runs before coming home on Dominique Soto's single through the left side.
Nicole Rice finished with three hits; Russell, Siriano had Stransky had two each.
Brittany Meka improved to 6-3 with the complete-game win. She struck out three batters and faced just one batter over the minimum over the final three innings.
In game two, Abby Monroe pitched a complete game, allowing just four hits and fanning seven Continentals.
Two of the hits she gave up were in the fifth, when Hamilton scored its run.
Trailing 3-0, Continentals loaded the bases on a walk to Ashleah Yzaguirre '19 and an infield single by Nicol after Caroline Chivily '19 reached when her bunt was misplayed. Chivily scored on a ground ball by Gozdz but Monroe set down the next batter with the tying run on base to end the threat.
Hamilton's last chance came in the bottom of the seventh when Chivily reached on a one-out error to bring the tying run to the plate but Monroe retired the last two hitters to complete the sweep.
The Pioneers scored all three of their runs in the second, with Russell singling in a run and Cassie Smith following with a two-run single to right.
The Continentals are back in action Friday, opening a three-game NESCAC West Division series at Middlebury College. The teams play a 5 p.m. single game with a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday at noon.
