Long Ball, Solid Pitching Lead No. 19 Softball To Doubleheader Sweep Over Dominican
Courtesy of Tom Emberley, SID at C.W. Post University
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (April 27, 2006) - Freshman Shannon Kulnis led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a game-tying homer Thursday afternoon, and classmate Megan Correia hit a walk-off, two-run homer to left field in the ninth inning to lead the 19th-ranked C.W. Post softball team to a 4-2 victory over Dominican (N.Y.), in game one of a non-conference doubleheader. Sophomore Samantha Yodowitz fired a complete-game three-hitter and scored the lone run of the game in the third inning as the Pioneers swept past the Chargers in the nightcap, 1-0.
Game 1: No. 19 C.W. Post 4, Dominican (N.Y.) 2 (9 inn.)
C.W. Post drew first blood in the bottom of the first inning, when Jill Fisher and Melissa Hippo hit back-to-back doubles, with the latter's two-bagger giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Dominican tied the score at 1-1 in the second frame, before Sarah Beck's (Milton, NY) two-out homer to left field gave the Chargers a 2-1 lead in the third inning.
Kulnis drove a 1-1 offering from Dominican's Michelle Krupna (Sparta, NJ) (8.1 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, BB, 7 K) over the left-field fence in the bottom of the seventh inning, tying the game up at 2-2 and sending the contest to extra innings.
In the bottom of the ninth, Kulnis drew a one-out walk and was pinch ran for by Ashley Marchese. Two pitches later, Correia (2-for-4) drilled a 1-0 Krupna offering into the left-field bleachers, giving the Pioneers the victory. For Correia, it was her second home run in as many days; she tied the opening game of a NYCAC doubleheader Wednesday afternoon at Adelphi with a three-run bomb in the sixth inning.
C.W. Post starter Danielle Stallone won for the third time in as many games for the hosts, going the distance while allowing five hits, two earned runs, one walk and striking out seven strikeouts. Additionally, 77 of her 113 pitches on the day went for strikes in moving the junior to a 15-4 record on the year.
Christine Stathes (Cornwall, NY) went 3-for-3 with one run for Dominican, while 82 of Krupna's 127 pitches went for strikes.
Game 2: No. 19 C.W. Post 1, Dominican (N.Y.) 0
The Pioneers (35-10) got the only run they would need in the third inning, when Yodowitz reached on a two-out double to left-center field. Kelsey Cooley then stepped into the batter's box, and turned on Stathes' next pitch, singling up the middle and scoring Yodowitz with the only run of the game.
In the pitcher's circle, Yodowitz (10-5 record; 3 H, 3 K) allowed just two Dominican (31-15) runners to reach second base in the game. The left-hander was economical and efficient, throwing 56 of her 79 pitches for strikes.
Hippo went 2-for-3 with a double for the Pioneers.
Stathes threw a complete-game five hitter with one walk and five strikeouts for the Chargers, while Kristine Knuth (Staten Island, NY) went 2-for-3 with a stolen base from her leadoff spot.