Purchase, NY (April 8, 2017) – Purchase softball finished the busy weekend Sunday by splitting with conference rival SUNY College at Old Westbury.

A day after splitting with Mount Saint Mary College at home, the Panthers won the opener 3-1 and dropped game two, 8-3. They went 2-2 on the weekend and are now 3-7 overall, including 3-5 in Skyline Conference play.   

Following a one-two-three top half of the first by Nicole Fortuna (SR/New Rochelle, NY), the Panthers got right to work offensively in support of their ace. Purchase scored two runs in the bottom of the first. The first four hitters in the order collected back-to-back-to-back-to-back hits. Leadoff hitter Lisa Kentris (SO/Latham, NY) started with a single. Victoria Capone-Froio (JR/Yonkers, NY) followed with a single before Kelly Hayes (SO/Staten Island, NY) smashed a two-RBI double.

Although the Panthers went in order in the second, Purchase added a run in the third, highlighted by another double from Hayes and the second hit of the game for Mary Adams (SR/Milton, PA). The run came home on a wild pitch.

That was all Fortuna would need in the complete game. The Panther ace finishes the week with a no-hitter against the College of Mount Saint Vincent, a complete-game victory over Mount Saint Mary and another impressive league win in topping Old Westbury on Sunday.  

Fortuna took a no-hitter into the fourth, where OW's Gabriella Valdes singled down the third baseline. She would allow only three hits in the opener, surrendering the run in the top of the seventh. The unearned run came across on an error.

Offensively, Purchase was led by Hayes and Adams, who finished with two of the team's nine hits.

In game two, Fortuna navigated through a small rough patch in the first. She allowed a leadoff single to Valdes. OW would put a runner in scoring position, but Hayes made a spectacular leaping grab on a long run with two outs to end the threat.

In the bottom half of the inning, Purchase struck first. Kentris singled and was replaced on the bases on a fielder's choice by Capone-Froio. Capone-Froio would later score on an infield single and RBI by Adams.

Adams then scored on a smash to left center, a double from Rachel Stockinger (FR/Putnam Valley, NY). The RBI double boosted Purchase's lead to 2-0 against OW starter Lauren Bloom. 

In the top of the second, OW answered back with its best inning of the day to that point – a three-run frame highlighted by a bases loaded clearing double by Bloom. The clutch hit gave the visitors their first lead of the day (3-2).

Purchase stranded a runner at second in the bottom half of the second and removed Fortuna in the third, replacing her with Stockinger in the circle. Fortuna would later receive a no-decision.

Purchase tied the game in the fifth. Kentris belted a triple to start the inning and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Hayes.

Stockinger pitched well and held down OW through the top of sixth, where it appeared she had pitched through a jam. With runners on second and third and two outs, Stockinger induced a ground ball to shortstop, but the slower roller turned into an infield RBI single for Katie Rizzo. Stockinger regrouped and got the final out – a liner to short.

But in the top of the seventh, a leadoff single, coupled with an error, had Stockinger and the Panthers in another jam. With runners on first and second, Amana Fucci provided the cushion that the visiting Panthers needed. She hit a three-run homer to left for a 7-3 advantage. OW added one more run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single from Valdes. Purchase stopped the bleeding by gunning down a runner at the plate on the same play.

However, Bloom finished off the complete-game win by limiting the Panthers to a pair of singles in the bottom of the seventh.