Softball Splits Season Series with Franklin Pierce, Wins Game Two of Doubleheader Sunday
Links: Box Score (Game 1 | Game 2)
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. –The Merrimack College softball team took the second game of a doubleheader with Franklin Pierce on Sunday, but fell in game one of the day in what was a Northeast-10 Conference divisional matchup as the Warriors split the season series with the Ravens, two games apiece.
The Basics
Score (G1): Franklin Pierce 4, Merrimack 3
Score (G2): Merrimack 4, Franklin Pierce 1
Records: Merrimack (19-23, 10-11 NE-10) | Franklin Pierce (11-18, 7-9 NE-10)
Location: Warrior Softball Diamond | North Andover, Massachusetts
How It Happened (G1)
The majority of game one was a flat-out pitcher's duel, as the score sat at just 1-0 after the first six innings. Junior captain Haley Currie (Burlington, Mass.) got the start in game one for the Warriors and shut down the Ravens in those first six innings, allowing just three hits and one run on a sacrifice fly in that stretch. The Warriors would also struggle at the plate in the first six frames, managing just three hits while being unable to plate a run.
As the game entered the seventh inning with Franklin Pierce still leading with the lone run of the game, both teams would come alive at the plate as each side doubled their hit totals from the first six innings in the seventh alone. The Ravens would score three invaluable insurance runs on five hits in the top of the inning to extend their lead to 4-0 and put the Warriors in an even deeper hole with just one at-bat remaining.
However, the Warrior bats would also wake up in the seventh inning, beginning with a one-out double from junior Mariah Tenney (Winchendon, Mass.) and her second double of the game. A wild pitch and a walk would give Merrimack runners on first and third, and a two-out single up the middle from Currie would be assisted by an error in the field, allowing both base runners to score and put the score at 4-2, with Currie able to make her way to third. Freshman Caitlin McBride (Danvers, Mass.) would follow with a single to left to score Currie and cut Merrimack's deficit to just one at 4-3 with two outs and a runner on. The Warriors' late comeback bid would end there, though, as the tying run would be left stranded.
How It Happened (G2)
After a quiet and scoreless 1.5 innings to begin game two, the Warriors would deliver an offensive outburst in the bottom of the second inning to give themselves a nice cushion early in the contest. A leadoff single from McBride in the second would quickly be rewarded thanks to triple roped down the left field line from junior Tamarra Crowe (North Bend, Wash.), scoring McBride to give the Warriors a quick 1-0 lead.
Back-to-back walks following Crowe's triple would load the bases with no outs in the inning. A strikeout and an infield fly would keep the damage at just one run with two outs in the inning, but a lackadaisical throw back to the pitcher would sneak away, allowing the runners to move up a base and Crowe to score, making it 2-0 Merrimack. Another error in the field from the Ravens on a hustle play from Tenney would allow two more runs to score for Merrimack, as the Warriors would need just two hits to take a 4-0 lead in the second inning.
Sophomore Courtney Zambello (Sharon, Mass.) would start on the mound for Merrimack in game two, delivering arguably her best start of the season thus far. The sophomore held the Ravens to just two hits through the first five innings while keeping them off the scoreboard. Zambello would only be touched in the sixth inning, with Franklin Pierce's power source in Erin Wood leading off the inning with a solo homer to put the score at 4-1.
That would be the only run the Ravens would manage on Zambello as she allowed just one more hit to escape the sixth inning before putting the Ravens down in order in the seventh inning to close out the game and seal the win for Merrimack.
Inside The Numbers
- With the loss in game one on Sunday, the Warriors (8-9) remain a half game back of Bentley in the NE-10 Northeast Division standings. Bentley also fell in its most recent divisional contest and sits at 8-8.
- Zambello's final pitching line (G2 - W): 7.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 2BB, 5K. It is the sophomore's first complete game win of the season, while her five strikeouts tie her season-high.
- Currie's hit streak watch: After registering a hit and game one but being held hitless in game two, Currie had her stunning hit streak snapped at 17 games. During the streak, she was 23-for-55 (.418 avg) with three home runs and 12 RBI.
Up Next
The Warriors head back on the road when they travel to Stonehill on Tuesday to conclude their season series with the Skyhawks at 3:00 p.m.
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