Softball Walks Off in Extras with Three-Run 10th Inning
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. –After falling behind by two runs in the top of the 10th inning, the Merrimack College softball team rallied for three runs in the bottom of the frame, capped off by a walk-off RBI single from freshman Emily Kurkul (Bridgewater, Mass.) to pick up a crucial Northeast-10 Conference divisional win over Saint Michael's by a score of 5-4 on Friday. Game two of the doubleheader was postponed in the bottom of the second inning at a 0-0 score, and will resume at 10:00 a.m. Saturday prior to the teams' scheduled doubleheader at noon.
The Basics
Score – 10 innings: Merrimack 5, Saint Michael's 4
Records: Merrimack (21-25, 12-13 NE-10) | Saint Michael's (3-31, 2-21 NE-10)
Location: Warrior Softball Diamond| North Andover, Mass.
NE-10 Postseason Outlook (N.E. Division)
The top-four programs in the division standings advance to the NE-10 Championship, with the top-two teams receiving a bye. The Warriors have two divisional games remaining with Saint Michael's this weekend. Bentley has two divisional games remaining with Southern N.H., and Franklin Pierce has three divisional games remaining with Stonehill.
1. Southern N.H. (14-5)
2. Assumption (13-6)
3. Stonehill (12-6)
4. Bentley (10-9)
5. Franklin Pierce (9-9)
6. Merrimack (9-10)
How It Happened (G1)
After a two scoreless innings to begin the contest, the Warriors would get on the board first in the bottom of the third innings thanks to a pair of junior captains in Haley Currie (Burlington, Mass.) and Samantha Waskowitz (Killingworth, Conn.). Waskowitz would reach base with a one-out walk, and then would steal second to put herself in scoring position. Currie would step to the plate with two outs and rip a double to left field to score Waskowitz and put Merrimack up 1-0.
Currie would also start the game for the Warriors, allowing just two hits in the first four innings and at one point retiring nine straight. But the Purple Knights would find some life in the fifth, as a leadoff single followed by back-to-back doubles would score two and put St. Michael's up 2-1.
Merrimack would respond in the sixth inning thanks to a leadoff home run from the eventual hero in Kurkul, as the rookie crushed her fifth homer of the season to tie the game at 2-2. The Warriors would close in on a lead, but the inning would come to an end on an out at the plate.
Currie would keep the Purple Knights scoreless after the fifth as the game remained at 2-2 into extras and all the way to the 10th inning. But St. Michael's would retake the lead in the 10th with a two-run home run, giving them a 4-2 lead and loads of momentum.
Currie would get the first chance to respond in the bottom of the inning, and would leadoff with an RBI double to score the placed runner on second to quickly cut the deficit to one. A single from Caitlin McBride (Danvers, Mass.) would follow in the next at-bat, with a throwing error in the field allowing Currie to score and McBride to advance all the way to third. After two consecutive outs following McBride's hit, Kurkul would step to the plate and hit a two-out, two-strike single to knock in the game-winning run and clinch a vital win for the Warriors.
Inside The Numbers
- Despite the win, the Warriors remain in sixth-place in the division after Bentley also picked up a win Friday. They remain a game behind Bentley, and sit a half game behind Franklin Pierce.
- Kurkul's day at the plate: 2-for-3, game-tying HR, walk-off RBI single. The rookie continues to display power at the plate, as she has homered in four of her last 10 games and twice in her last three. Her five home runs ties her for the team lead.
- Currie's final pitching line (W): 10.0 IP, 8H, 4R, 2BB, 6K. The junior also helped her own cause tremendously at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, two RBI's and a run.
Up Next
The Warriors will resume action of Friday's game two at 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning, followed by their previously scheduled doubleheader beginning at noon. Saturday will also serve as Senior Day for the Warriors, with the ceremony taking place after the 12:00 p.m. game.
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