Game 1: Staten Island - 4, Farmingdale State - 2
Game 2: Farmingdale State - 2, Staten Island - 1 (F/10)
Farmingdale, N.Y. - After falling 4-2 in the first game of this afternoon's softball doubleheader versus Staten Island, Farmingdale State used a walk-off RBI single by senior third baseman Sierra Cardenales (Patchogue, N.Y.) in the bottom of the 10th inning of game two to earn a 2-1 victory and the non-conference split.
In the bottom of the first inning with one out of game one, FSC (16-14) used three straight singles by freshman center fielder Priscilla Rivera (Brentwood, N.Y.), freshman shortstop Jessica Clark (Selden, N.Y.) and junior first baseman Jessica Lombardo (Levittown, N.Y.) to take a 1-0 advantage.
After CSI (11-13) knotted the game with an RBI single in the top of the third, Dolphins' freshman catcher Sierra Kaplanek (Corona, Calif.) tallied a three-run homerun over the right field fence to go in front, 4-1.
Over the next three innings, each team combined for just two hits as the game remained 4-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, Lombardo led off the inning with a double down the right field line and was pinch-ran for by freshman Mirren O'Mahony (Massapequa, N.Y.). With runners on first and third later in the inning, junior Julia Walpole (Mahopac, N.Y.) tallied a sacrifice fly to score O'Mahony and cut the Rams deficit to 4-2.
In the seventh, Staten Island senior pitcher Alison Meagher (Clark, N.J.) (W, 6-2) set down the Rams in order as the Dolphins went on for the 4-2 victory.
Lombardo tallied two hits and an RBI, while Rivera recorded a hit and one run scored. Sophomore left fielder Lexie Collard (Deer Park, N.Y.) and Clark each were 1-for-4 and Walpole produced one run batted in on her sacrifice fly.
For Staten Island, Kaplanek was 1-for-3 with one run scored and three RBI's and junior shortstop Patricia Riches (Staten Island, N.Y.) tallied two hits and one run in the win.
With the second game still scoreless in the top of the fifth, the Dolphins put runners on second and third with one out, but Rams' sophomore pitcher Madeleine Smith (San Diego, Calif.) forced a pair of groundouts to quickly end the threat.
The game remained 0-0 until extra innings when each team scored a run in the eighth. After the runner was placed on second base to start extras, Staten Island used a sacrifice bunt to move the runner to third and an RBI single by Riches to go up, 1-0. In the bottom of the inning, FSC also used a sacrifice bunt to move the runner over to third before a sacrifice fly by Walpole knotted the game at 1-1.
After neither team was able to push across a run in the ninth inning, Smith forced a pop out and two groundouts in the top of the tenth to keep the game tied at 1-1.
In the bottom of the tenth, freshman second baseman Julianna Prescia (Oakdale, N.Y.) was placed on second base to start the inning and Cardenales led off with the game-winning single over the left fielders head to give the Rams the 2-1 victory.
Lombardo, Prescia, Cardenales and junior right fielder Cathleen Cassese (Bethpage, N.Y.) recorded one hit apiece in the win for Farmingdale State.
Smith (W, 6-5) recorded a complete game after pitching all 10 innings allowing just one unearned run on five hits to pick up her sixth win of the season.
Farmingdale State next wraps up their regular season schedule with a conference doubleheader at Mount Saint Mary on Saturday, April 27th starting at noon.
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