Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score
Moon Township, PA – The Wagner College softball team was edged in both games of its Northeast Conference (NEC) doubleheader against Robert Morris today, falling 2-0 and 3-1 to the Colonials at the North Atlantic Complex in Moon Township, PA.
The Colonials' defense retired the first three Seahawks to open the game before applying some offensive pressure with their bats. Two early hits put runners in scoring position, but sophomore Judy Betz (Ashburn, VA) got Maritza Jimenez to ground out to Alyssa McCulloch (East Brunswick, NJ) at third base to end the threat.
With two outs, senior Ashley Olsen (Staten Island, NY) stepped up in the top of the second inning and blasted her team-leading fourth double of the season with a drive to left field. McCulloch followed Olsen's at bat going down on strikes,as Colonials' pitcher Alexa Bryson got out of the potential Seahawk scoring chance.
The two teams went idle for the next three innings, combining for just two hits through the fourth. In the top of the fifth inning, Olsen got things started again, reaching on an error to open the frame. Kristen Matteoni (Reno, NV) earned a walk against Bryson, putting a couple of Seahawks on the basepaths. But the junior righty tallied her seventh strikeout of the day, getting Carley Nicoletti (Plainville, NY) to go down on strikes and end the inning.
The Colonials also got things going in the fifth, pressuring the Seahawks' defense into making two costly errors and adding one clean hit on their way to a two-run inning. Two runs would be all the Colonials needed to get the victory, as lone singles in the sixth and seventh inning by Olsen and Laura Hennig (Dyer, IN) weren't enough to get the Seahawks on the board.
Betz was credited with her sixth complete game, giving up just five hits and no earned runs. The loss kept the Seahawks winless in conference play with the back side of the day's doubleheader still to play.
With the threat of rain lingering in the distance, the teams readied for game two with Betz heading back out to the circle for the Seahawks, facing freshman Geena Badolato.
The second game started much like the first, as Badolato struck out the first two Seahawks and got Brittany Huss (Anthem, AZ) to ground out to first, setting the pace for the home team.
Used to Betz's pitches, the Colonials jumped in front early, belting five hits and bringing two across the plate to give the home team an early advantage.
Hennig was the only Seahawk to keep the hits going from game one, recording two singles in her first two at bats of the second game. Senior Amanda Garcia (Fresno, CA) got in on the hits in the top of the fifth inning, but the Seahawks were unable to string anything offensively together, as the score remained 2-0 heading into the sixth inning.
Trying to get things started with two outs in the top of the sixth, Huss laced a single through the right side of the infield putting a Green and White runner on base. Hennig followed suit, continuing her career day with a double to right center field that scored Huss from first, bringing the Seahawks to within 2-1 and putting the tying run in scoring position. Badolato kept her team in front by inducing Olsen to ground out to the shortstop to end Wagner's sixth inning.
In the bottom half, the Colonials added an insurance run off two hits and a well-executed sacrifice bunt, putting the home team back in the driver's seat with a 3-1 lead.
Bryson took care of the three Seahawks in the top of the seventh to seal the win and extend the Seahawks' losing streak to seven games. Betz was given her 11th loss of the season, as the team dropped to 1-19 on the season and 0-6 in the NEC. The two wins improve the Colonials' mark to 12-17 and 4-2 in the conference.
With Sunday's doubleheader against Saint Francis (PA) being postponed, the Seahawks will take the field next on Wednesday, April 6, when they host the Leopards of Lafayette in a 3:00 p.m. start.
