Press Release Written by Nathan Foltz
ORANGEBURG, N.Y. - - Dominican spoiled the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opener for the Wilmington University softball team on Saturday with a 7-5 victory in game one, but the Wildcats came back to win Game 2 by a score of 10-0 in six innings in Orangeburg.
Wilmington held the lead for most of Game 1 before giving up a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth, which proved to be the final difference in the contest. In Game 2, Wilmington scored a lone run in the second inning before exploding for six in the fifth to power the run-rule win behind excellent pitching by Olivia Hitchens.
GAME 1:
Dominican threatened early by loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the first, but Kasey Xenidis came through with a backwards K to prevent any Charger runs from coming across. Dominican got another runner into scoring position with two gone in the second, but another looking strikeout ended that rally as well.
Addison Sabo singled with one out in the top of the third, and after stealing second, Gabriella Saucedo singled her in for the first run of the ballgame. Then in the fourth, Riley Maloney swatted her first homer of the year to increase the lead to two before Sabo doubled to bring home two more runs and push the lead to 4-0.
The four-run lead didn't hold for long, though, as Dominican was finally able to capitalize on a runner in scoring position after stranding at least one in each of the first three innings. A one-out single to center made it 4-1, but Sabo gunned down a second runner at the plate for out number two, and then Clara Babyak induced a groundball back to the circle to get out of it. The Chargers weren't done, creeping closer in the fifth with a pair of one-out RBI singles, though Brianna Greenlaw punched back with a leadoff homer in the sixth to make it 5-3. Jess Reed smacked a double and Hailey Trapani drew a walk to put two on with two outs, but Caroline Scott popped up to third to end the threat.
The missed opportunity for insurance runs proved costly for Wilmington, as Dominican came up in the bottom of the sixth and delivered their biggest blow of the game - a grand slam to left center after the first three Chargers of the inning singled their way on base.
Down two in the seventh, the Wildcats went 1-2-3 to end the game.
Xenidis took the loss, pitching four total innings in the game. She didn't give up any runs, but issued four walks and gave up three hits with two strikeouts. Clara Babyak threw one and a third, allowing three runs (two earned) on a walk and two hits. Julia Scannapieco covered two outs and gave up three hits, but no earned runs. Karen Sickle was charged with all four runs that came home on the Dominican grand slam without recording an out.
Sabo and Greenlaw were the only two Wildcats with multiple hits, each going 2-3 with a run scored. Sabo was also the only Wildcat to drive in more than one run and stole the only base of the game for Wilmington.
GAME 2:
Things went much smoother in the circle in Game 2, as Olivia Hitchens shut down the Dominican offense to the tune of three hits and a walk with eight punchouts in six innings of work.
Wilmington had baserunners in each of the first four innings, but the only one to cross the plate was Gabriella Saucedo when she smacked a one-out homer in the second. The defense collapsed for Dominican in the sixth, as they were unable to get Jess Reed at the plate on a squeeze bunt by Addison Sabo, and then allowed two runs to score on a Maddie Vollmar triple. Rylee Maloney brought Vollmar home with a sac bunt, and then after Brianna Greenlaw doubled, Saucedo ripped her second homer of the game to make it a 7-0 game.
The scoring continued in the sixth, with Haley Grygo reaching on a throwing error to lead off the inning and then coming home on a Sabo double. Vollmar followed that up with the third Wildcat home run of the game, putting an exclamation mark on an explosive offensive effort for Wilmington.
Vollmar's four RBI led the Wildcats, while Saucedo was right behind her with three. Vollmar, Saucedo, and Sabo all went 3-4 as Vollmar finished a double shy of a cycle. Sabo and Greenlaw each hit a double in the game.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will be right back at it on Sunday, though they'll step out of the CACC to play Molloy University. They'll be back at Asbury Field for the double dip, with first pitch slated for 12:00 p.m. in New Castle.