Armstrong's Walk-Off Lifts Softball to Split vs. Concordia-St. Paul, #10 West Chester Thursday
CLERMONT, Fla. – Senior catcher Becca Armstrong (Methuen, Mass.) was the walk-off hero in Game 1 to help the Warriors rally for a 5-4 victory, helping the Merrimack College softball team split its penultimate day in Florida against Concordia-St. Paul and 10th-ranked West Chester.
The Basics
Score (G1): Merrimack 5, Concordia-St. Paul 4
Score (G2): #10 West Chester 8, Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (5-7) | Concordia-St. Paul (6-9) | #10 West Chester (9-3)
Location: Nat'l Training Center | Clermont, Fla.
How It Happened
After squandering a two-run lead in the top of the seventh of the opening game, Armstrong's heroics more than made up for it, lifting the Warriors to their first walk-off win of the season.
After a 3-1 lead evaporated and turned into a 4-3 deficit, Merrimack came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh down by a run. Armstrong completed the dramatic rally with the game-winning base hit to round out a fantastic game at the plate. She also drove in a run back in the third that put the Warriors up by a 3-0 margin at the time.
Back in the bottom of the second of a scoreless game, freshman Amanda Brush (Harleysville, Pa.) tallied the first Warrior run on an RBI single that brought in senior Lindsay Gibbs (Acton, Mass.). An inning later, sophomore Samantha Waskowitz (Killingworth, Conn.) came in to score on a two-base error, and then Armstrong doubled to drive in junior Brittany Razo (Anaheim, Calif.) to push the Merrimack lead to 3-0.
Concordia would get a run back in the top of the fifth; after rookie hurler Courtney Zambello (Sharon, Mass.) helped herself with a phenomenal diving catch, the Golden Bears smacked a run-scoring double to make it a 3-1 affair halfway through the game.
Zambello ran into early trouble in the top of the seventh, as Concordia scored two quick runs to draw even and then added one more to put Merrimack on the ropes.
Fortunately for the Warriors, Armstrong would save the day with her game-winning, walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh.
Facing the 10th-ranked team in the latest NFCA national rankings in the nightcap, Merrimack fought valiantly against West Chester, throwing everything it had at the Rams.
West Chester built itself a four-run (4-0) lead through four innings until Razo drove in senior Courtney Ulak (Rehoboth, Mass.) in the top of the fifth to account for the lone Warrior run in the game.
The Rams would add four more runs in the sixth to extend their lead to seven to account for the final margin of defeat.
Up Next
Merrimack rounds out its 15-game, seven-day stretch in Florida with a tripleheader tomorrow starting at 9 a.m. against conference foe Pace before two more games with NYIT and Ferris State.
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