Jersey City, NJ
(April 20, 2017) – Pesky New Jersey City University rallied from behind three times, including two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, notching its first extra-innings win of the season, 7-6, over Purchase College in the first game of a non-conference softball doubleheader Thursday.
The Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of game two, sweeping the twin bill with a 6-2 decision in the nightcap.
NJCU snapped a five-game skid, improving to 10-16. Purchase dropped to 6-12 overall.
After losing twice in eight innings this season by similar 3-2 scores, the Gothic Knights were in danger of falling again after Purchase scored in the top of the eighth under international tiebreaker rules.
Down 6-5, Naomi Olacio started the inning on second base and Julie Squeo dropped down a sacrifice attempt but eluded the tag for an infield single.
With runners on the corners, pitcher Christina Mezey helped her own cause with a game-tying single to center and the bases were loaded after the Panthers could not retire Squeo at third on a fielder's choice.
Keyonne Ingram's ground ball to shortstop was booted and Squeo, who broke on contact and would have scored anyway, was able to cross the plate with the winning run without a throw.
Squeo and Caralynne Rivera were each 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored while Ingram had her first two collegiate RBI and first hit.
Purchase's
Rachel Stockinger (FR/Putnam Valley, NY) led Purchase with three RBI in a 2-for-3 effort.
Mary Adams (SR/Milton, PA) and pitcher
Nicole Fortuna (SR/New Rochelle, NY) each had two hits.
Lisa Kentris (SO/Latham, NY) and
Kelly Hayes (SO/Staten Island, NY) scored twice; Hayes also had a pair of walks.
PC led 3-0 after scoring three in the top of the first inning, including a two-run double to center by Stockinger.
NJCU roared back in the bottom of the first to tie it, 3-3. After back-to-back Purchase errors with one out, an RBI single and a two-run single through the left side tied it.
PC got two runs back in the third. Purchase used very aggressive base running to put runners in scoring position as two batters walked and kept going, stealing second each time without ever stopping at first. A sacrifice fly by Stockinger on a foul ball and a bunt single by Fortuna made it 5-3.
When Hayes doubled to open the eighth inning in a 5-5 game to score Kentris in the tiebreaker format, back-to-back singles loaded the bases with no outs. But Mezey got out of trouble, coaxing a 1-2-3 double play and a subsequent ground ball back to the circle.
Game two was less dramatic as the Gothic Knights scored three in the first and three more runs in the fourth to complete the sweep.
Mezey won both ends of the doubleheader to improve to 7-14.
In game two, she went 4.0 innings, allowing one run on three hits with two strikeouts and no walks.
Kentris batted 2 for 3 with a run scored and Stockinger had both RBI to finish the day with five runs batted in. Stockinger was the losing pitcher (1-9), allowing all six runs and eight hits.
-NJCU Sports Information Contributed to this report
