Solid Pitching From Kiser And Bettles Lifts No. 18 Softball In Sweep Over Le Moyne
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (March 19, 2010) – Junior pitcher
Sarah Kiser (Arnold, Md.) and sophomore pitcher
Hayley Bettles (Surrey, British Columbia) combined to post two wins over the Le Moyne College Dolphins, as #18 C.W. Post softball swept the Dolphins in a doubleheader, 2-1 and 6-4, on Friday afternoon in non-conference softball action.
The Pioneers improve to 7-3 on the season while Le Moyne drops to 0-6.
Game one was a pitcher's duel as both teams played a scoreless first two innings. Le Moyne scratched out a run in the top of the third as sophomore third baseman Kelcie Cashel (Lacona, N.Y.) doubled to left field, scoring senior centerfielder Delle VanGorder (Vestal, N.Y.), who had walked, from first base.
The 1-0 lead held until the bottom of the sixth, as Dolphin hurler
Jenna Vanacore (Hicksville, N.Y.) limited the Pioneers to just three hits through five innings. But C.W. Post finally broke through in the sixth as
Melissa Medina (Levittown, N.Y.) led off with a bunt single to third base. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Kerry Fisher (Barto, Pa.) and came around to score on an infield single by
Christie Softy (Floral Park, N.Y.), hustling all the way from second base to score on a ball that never left the dirt.
Kiser held the Dolphins scoreless in the seventh, setting the stage for a seventh-inning walk off that started when
Kendall Bright (Manlius, N.Y.) doubled to center field. Bright moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior right fielder
Katie Fisher (Barto, Pa.). With one out,
Kristen Morcone (Milford, Mass.) hit a grounder to the right side, and the throw to the plate was high, allowing Bright to slide in under the tag and give C.W. Post the 2-1 walk-off victory.
Kiser had her usual excellent outing as she fanned 11 batters in 7.0 innings, scattering six hits and giving up just one earned run and one walk.
Vanacore was equally impressive as she also scattered six hits over six and a third innings.
In game two, Le Moyne again jumped out to the early 1-0 lead as sophomore first baseman Leah Ford (Pulaski, N.Y.) crushed a solo homer to center field in the third.
But C.W. Post answered right back in the bottom of the inning as Medina singled to shortstop, advanced to second on a passed ball, and third on a single by freshman second baseman
Rogin Hardy (Kirkland, Wash.) Medina scored on a single to center by
Shannon Kulnis (Flemington, N.J.) and the score was knotted a 1-1.
C.W. Post broke out in the fourth as Morcone led off the inning with a single through the left side. Two bunt singles by
Krysta Palazzo (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) and Medina loaded the bases, and
Kerry Fisher came through with a single to right field that put the Pioneers up 2-1. A groundout to the pitcher put the score at 3-1, and a booming triple to centerfield by Softy scored two more runs for a 5-1 advantage.
But Le Moyne did some damage of its own in the bottom of the fifth as back-to-back Cashel and Kelly Schweikert doubles scored a run, and an RBI single to center by sophomore catcher Morgan Edmonson (Johnston City, N.Y.) scored another. Barb Shea singled to right center for another RBI, before Kiser came in to fan junior pinch hitter Kim Baker (Murrieta, Calif.) to end the threat, but C.W. Post saw its lead shrink to just 5-4.
The sixth saw C.W. Post get an insurance run as Softy doubled to left center, moved to third on a single to left, and score on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by
Katie Fisher.
Kiser gave up a single in the seventh to senior leftfielder Bailey Phillips (Rochester, N.Y.), but she was caught stealing by Morcone to erase the runner, and Kiser struck out Shea to end the game.
The Pioneers pounded out 15 hits in the contest with Medina having a 4-for-4 day and Softy going 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Morcone chipped in with two hits on the day.
Bettles earned the win with 4.2 innings of work, scattering seven hits and giving up four runs while striking out five and walking one. Kiser was strong in relief as she went 2.1 innings and gave up only three hits and struck out four.
C.W. Post will remain at home and will host a 12 p.m. doubleheader against American International College on Saturday.