Purchase, NY (April 8, 2017) – Panther ace Nicole Fortuna stayed hot in the circle and the Purchase bats came alive late in a thrilling 2-1 game one victory Saturday at home over perennial league power Mount Saint Mary. The Knights then split the twin bill in a 13-1 game two victory.

Fresh off her no-hitter, Fortuna (SR/New Rochelle, NY) navigated around an error and some early trouble in the top half of the first. The righty settled down and retired the side in the second before eluding two base runners in the third to keep the game scoreless.

MSMC starter Cindy Connoly was equally strong. She hurled a 1-2-3 inning in the first and stranded a runner at third in the second, as the hosts opened the inning on a leadoff single by Mary Adams (SR/Milton, PA). Connoly pitched around a one-out single by Fortuna in the bottom of the third.

In the fourth, Fortuna retired the side in order, inducing back-to-back groundouts to herself in the circle to close the top half of the inning.

Connoly answered back in the pitcher's duel by posting a scoreless inning of her own, pitching around a two-out single by Rachel Stockinger (FR/Putnam Valley, NY).

It remained tied through the sixth inning, when both teams got on the board.

In the top half, MSMC put runners on second and third with one out thanks to a walk and an infield error. Breanna DePasquale then provided the go-ahead run on an RBI single.

Purchase (2-6, 2-4 Skyline Conference) avoided major trouble on a gem of a play by left fielder Lisa Kentris (SO/Latham, NY), who gunned down the runner at the plate and kept the score 1-0. Connoly had chipped a soft soft into shallow left that would have plated another run had it not been for the strong throw and put out by Kentris. Fortuna retired Courtney Barbara for the final out. 

But in the bottom of the inning, the resilient Panthers answered the challenge. Victoria Capone-Froio (JR/Yonkers, NY) singled to center. A sac bunt moved her to second for Adams. Adams blasted a double to the fence in left, plating Capone-Froio and tying the game.

Stockinger followed suit with a double of her own, bringing home Adams for the lead. Although the Panthers would leave runners on second and third, the one-run lead was all they would need for their ace in upsetting the then league undefeated Knights. 

In the top of the seventh, Fortuna finished what she started, going the distance in the complete-game win. She capped the victory with a strikeout of Shannon Sommer.  

The Knights (12-8, 7-1) bounced back in game two. MSMC scored three runs in the top half of the first on a Connoly double with the bases loaded.

Stockinger got the game-two start for Purchase in the circle. She got two outs and was nearly unscathed, but gave up the big blow to Connoly after hitting a batter and allowing two singles.  

MSMC found its groove from there, scoring three more in the second and breaking the game open with seven runs in the fourth on its way to winning 13-1 in a five inning, run-rule decision.

The Knights were paced offensively by Connoly, who finished with three hits and four RBI. Kathryn Eiler added three hits and one RBI, while Sommer finished the day with two hits, two runs and two RBI from the top of the order. Two other MSMC hitters finished with multiple hits. Starter Bridget Bennett earned the win.

Briana Leon (SR/Glen Cove, NY) recorded the RBI for Purchase in game two. 

The Panthers are back in action Sunday at home in another league doubleheader. They welcome rival SUNY College at Old Westbury for a noon start.