PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Purchase College softball team soared to victory during a doubleheader against Yeshiva University on Saturday afternoon.
The Blue and Orange advanced to 8-7 overall and 4-0 in the Skyline Conference, whereas the visitors are now 0-22 and 0-10 respectively.
Game One: Purchase 13, Yeshiva 1 (5 inn)
At the start of the game, the Maccabees took an early lead with the first run, but the Panthers quickly found their rhythm.
Leading off for the home team first-year Samantha Christopher (North Babylon, NY) hit a double, setting the stage for Halle Greaige (FY/Rye Brook, NY) to bring Christopher home with a sacrifice fly, resulting in a tied score of 1-1 at the end of the first inning.
In the bottom of the second, the Panthers surged ahead with three runs. Katherine Combe's (JR/Brooklyn, NY) double and subsequent advance, along with Allison Cammarata's (FY/Coram, NY) walk and stolen base, paved the way for Christopher's sacrifice fly, which scored Combe. Tyler Salerno (FY/Kings Park, NY) followed with a single, bringing in Cammarata and finally, Greaige tripled, scoring Salerno.
Purchase now leading 4-1 in the bottom of the third, continued to pile on runs. Rebecca Bronzi's (JR/Lagrangeville, NY) triple and subsequent score due to a fielding error, along with hits from Combe, Katie Straub (FY/Lynbrook, NY) and Christopher, fueled the five-run inning. Salerno's homerun capped off the scoring spree.
Heading into the fourth with an eight-run lead, the Blue and Orange continued to dominate. Key plays from Jennings, Bronzi, Konieczny, and Cammarata and finally a single from Christopher, secured the victory, ending the game 13-1.
On the mound, Olivia Goff (FY/Syracuse, NY), pitched three innings with three strikeouts and only allowed one hit, bringing her record to 4-1.
Notably, Christopher and Combe both contributed three hits and two runs, while Christopher added three RBIs. Salerno and Bronzi also made significant contributions with two hits and two runs and Salerno adding three RBIs.
Game Two: Purchase 12, Yeshiva 0 (5 inn)
Purchase carried its dominance from the first game into the second, exploding with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning.
The Blue and Orange capitalized on errors by Yeshiva, with key hits and smart baserunning fueling their offensive surge. Salerno's single and Bronzi's double drove in early runs, followed by Goff's single bringing in two more. Jade D'Errico (SR/Wantagh, NY) and Maria Konieczny (FY/Hadley, MA) added RBI singles and Salerno's double later in the inning created an unreachable lead, 9-0.
In the following inning, the Panthers maintained their momentum, with Greaige, Combe, Devynn Hernandez (FY/Ossining, NY), Cammarata, and Konieczny all contributing hits and RBIs to extend the lead 12-0 after two innings.
Despite a valiant effort by the Maccabees, strong pitching from Purchase would prevent any scoring attempts and ended the game after just five innings, 12-0.
Christopher, now with a 2-0 record, took the win for the game after six strikeouts and zero hits allowed.
Individually, Salerno led with three hits and three RBIs, while Konieczny, Goff and Cammarata each contributed two RBIs and one run.
Up next, the Panthers are away for their next Skyline Conference doubleheader against the University of Mount Saint Vincent on April 13th. The first game is slated for noon.
