Sage's home opener spoiled by MSMC
Troy, NY----The Sage Colleges softball team hosted the Blue Knights of Mount Saint Mary College in the team’s home opener. The Skyline Conference doubleheader was the first for the both teams on the young season. Mt. St. Mary took the pair of games at Robison Field, 4-2 and 9-6 in eight innings in the night cap. MSMC improves to 6-6 overall and 2-0 in the league, while Sage falls to 0-8 overall and 0-2 in the league.
The Gators’ senior short stop Kellie Jones (Troy, NY/Troy) connected on a solo home run in the bottom of the first to pull Sage within a run, but the Blue Knights added two more run in the top of the fourth inning and racked up the victory as freshman pitcher Caitlin Maynes (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) picked up the win to improve to 5-5. She struck out six Gator batters and yielded just one earned run off five hits.
She got offensive support from senior Christine DelPiano (Orange, CT/Amity Regional) as she was 3-4, while Amy Romito (Washingtonville, NY/Washingtonville) drove in two runs and was 2-4.
Sage’s freshman pitcher Gabriella Skillen (Milford, NY/Milford Central) took the loss after seven innings of work with three earned runs off nine hits and three strikeouts. She drops to 0-3 on the year.
Jones was 3-3 at the plate with two RBIs as well in the first contest.
Sage held a 6-3 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning in the night cap before rookie Maynes stepped to the plate and connected on her first home run of her collegiate career, a three-run blast that tied the game. Maynes had entered the game in the fifth inning in relief of senior Liz Carlson (Hopewell Junction, NY/Our Lady of the Lourdes) who worked 4.1 innings. Carlson had given up 12 hits and yielded six earned runs before Maynes came in provided the spark needed for the Blue Knights. She finished the game and collected the win in 3.2 innings of work with just two hits and three strikeouts. At the plate, she was 2-2 with three RBIs.
The Gators had been led by sophomore infielder Jennifer Ahearn (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes) as she was 3-5 with two runs scored and a double, while rookie catcher Mallory Ingalls (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany Central) was 2-3 with two RBIs and double. Sophomore Ashley Eberle (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem) was 3-4 with two RBIs and a double for the Gators.
Sage’s sophomore pitcher Kristen Knights (Chatham, NY/Chatham) worked 7.2 innings in taking the setback after yielding six earned runs off 12 hits and is now 0-3.
In the top of the eighth inning, MSMC made the most of a costly defensive error by the Gators and tacked on three runs to jump out to the 9-6 lead. Sage was unable to tack on any runs in the bottom half and fell in the extra-inning contest, 9-6.
The Gators will return to action on Sunday, March 28 travelling to St. Joseph’s College (NY) for a Skyline Conference doubleheader at 1 p.m.
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