Softball Faces Mercy (Friday), #13 LIU Post (Saturday) In Weekend Long Island Trip
WARRIORS TAKE ON TWO REGIONAL FOES THIS WEEKEND ON LONG ISLAND
Links: Live Stats (Saturday Only)
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – After going over a week between games due to unplayable field conditions back in New England, the Merrimack College softball team returns to action this weekend, as the Warriors travel down to Long Island for a pair of doubleheaders with East Coast Conference (ECC) foes Mercy College (Friday) and No. 13 LIU Post (Saturday).
The Basics
Date/Time: Friday/Saturday, March 28-29, 2014 | 12 p.m. (Friday) / 2 p.m. (Saturday)
Records: Merrimack (5-11) | Mercy (3-13) | #13 LIU Post (15-3)
Location: Smith Field / Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. | LIU Post Softball Complex / Brookville, N.Y.
Last Time Out: Razo Rips First Two Career Homers; Softball Splits Final Day in Florida w/ NYIT
Sophomore outfielder Brittany Razo launched the first two home runs of her collegiate career to help Merrimack split its final day of play at the NTC Spring Games against NYIT last Thursday morning in Florida.
In Game 1, Razo's bat helped the Warriors erase a three-run deficit en route to a 5-3 victory against NYIT. Razo got the Navy and Gold on the board with her first collegiate long ball in the bottom of the third, a two-run bomb that made it 3-2
In the bottom of the fourth, senior Ashley Perry led things off with a double before coming home on a subsequent double by Berthiaume. Up by one, Razo added some insurance with her second straight jack to make it 5-3. That score would hold the rest of the way to clinch the win.
In Game 2, Merrimack was unable to hold onto a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth, as NYIT stormed back with three runs to tie it before winning it with two runs in the bottom of the eighth, as the Warriors settled for a doubleheader split after falling, 6-5, in a nail-biter to wrap up their trip in Florida.
For the full recap from last Thursday, please click here.
Last Season vs. LIU Post (2-0 L, March 3, 2013)
In the second game of Merrimack's 2013 season, the Warriors hung tough with one of the top teams in the nation at the time, dropping a pitching duel, 2-0, against the Pioneers last March in the second game of a doubleheader played at Adelphi.
Then-freshman Alexis Perry impressed in her debut outing with the Warriors, limiting a potent LIU Post lineup to just four hits and two runs while striking out two and walking just one.
But on the flip side, the same rang true for LIU Post's Liz Weber. The junior hurler went the distance, surrendering three hits while striking out 11 and walking only two for the complete game shutout.
Both of the Pioneers' runs would come by means of sacrifice flies, with one run coming in the first and the second coming in the third. That support was enough for Weber, whose dominance on the mound kept Merrimack's offense at bay the rest of the way.
Last Meeting vs. Mercy (9-1 L, March 16, 2012)
Merrimack and Mercy will be meeting for the first time in over two years, as the Warriors' last bout with the Mavericks came in March of 2012 at the NTC Spring Games in Florida, when the team dropped a 9-1 decision.
After Merrimack took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, Mercy roared back with three separate three-run innings (bottom 2, 5, 6), as the Mavericks used 11 hits – including two home runs and four doubles – to power their way to the win.
The Warriors also committed three errors on the day and managed just five hits of their own in the setback.
The Warriors:
- Are back on the diamond for the first time in eight days after wrapping up their trip in Florida with a 5-6 record
- Are first in the Northeast-10 Conference in a number of categories, including triples (6), and stolen bases (24)
- Currently post a .277 / .412 / .327 average/SLG%/OBP as a team, each of which ranks eighth, fourth and ninth, respectively, in the NE-10
- Both Monet Perry and Razo's two home runs are tied for third in the conference, while Fugazzotto is the league's stolen base leader with 11 to date
The Mavericks:
- Enter Friday with a 3-13 overall mark and are looking to bump a nine-game losing streak
- Are playing their first two games at home after several weather cancelations in March
- Head into Friday with a .276 team batting average but have allowed opponents to hit .316 against them
- Are led by a pair of .400 hitters, with Kelly Bentson (.432, 1 HR, 7 RBI) and Jackie Couillard (.422, 2 HR, 8 RBI) leading the way
- Mary Wieber has started a team-high six games and owns a 2.80 ERA and 3-2 record with 19 strikeouts over 38.0 IP
The Pioneers:
- Are once again among the top teams both regionally and nationally and enter the weekend with a 15-3 overall record, a 12-game winning streak and a No. 13 national ranking according to the latest NFCA National Poll
- Have already played 10 home games and are unbeaten in all of them
- Are strong on both ends of the spectrum, batting .339 as a team while limiting the opposition to a meager .215 average
- Ace pitcher Liz Weber is in fine form again, owning an 8-1 record in nine starts with a miniscule 1.03 ERA in 54.1 IP and 26 strikeouts in that span
- Starters Alexis Gonzalez and Aly Dzierzynski each bat over .400; the former owns a .426 / 4 HR / 21 RBI line, with the latter posting a .417 / 6 HR / 23 RBI line to date
Up Next
After its home opener was washed away this week, Merrimack will finally look forward to playing on its home field for the first time this spring on Tuesday (April 1), as the Warriors open up Northeast-10 Conference and Northeast Divisional play with a doubleheader against Assumption. First pitch from the Warrior Softball Diamond is set for 3 p.m.
--
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.
