Game 1: Farmingdale State - 3, Mount Saint Mary - 2
Game 2: Mount Saint Mary - 8, Farmingdale State - 3
Farmingdale, N.Y. - For the first time since 2011, Farmingdale State has clinched the #1 seed for the Skyline Conference Softball Championship to earn a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. In game one of today's doubleheader at Mount Saint Mary, FSC trailed 2-0 heading into the final inning and scored three runs to pick up the victory. The Knights captured the second game of the doubleheader, 8-3.
Mount Saint Mary (13-20-1, 12-4 Skyline) jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in game one on a two-run homerun by junior left fielder Lauren Oury (Bethpage, N.Y.) in the bottom of the second inning.
The game remained 2-0 until the top of the seventh inning when the Rams scored three runs. Sophomore left fielder Lexie Collard (Deer Park, N.Y.) sparked the rally with a one-out walk before freshman center fielder Priscilla Rivera (Brentwood, N.Y.) singled up the middle. The next batter, freshman shortstop Jessica Clark (Selden, N.Y.), hit an RBI single up the middle and junior first baseman Jessica Lombardo (Levittown, N.Y.) followed with a run-scoring double to right-center to tie the game at 2-2. FSC freshman second baseman Julianna Prescia (Oakdale, N.Y.) was next and she tallied an RBI groundout to shortstop to bring home Clark and give the Rams the 3-2 lead.
Sophomore pitcher Madeleine Smith (San Diego, Calif.) (W, 7-5) set the Knights down in order in the bottom of the seventh inning as Farmingdale State earned the 3-2 come-from-behind victory.
Collard led the way for the Rams as she was 1-for-1 with three walks and one run scored. Lombardo finished with two hits, including an RBI double and Clark tallied one hit, a run and an RBI. Senior third baseman Sierra Cardenales (Patchogue, N.Y.) and senior right fielder Aleysha Midgett (Huntington, N.Y.) each recorded a double in the win.
FSC trailed 2-0 early in game two after Mount Saint Mary tallied a run in both the first and second innings. Farmingdale State answered in the top of the third with a pair of sacrifice fly's from Lombardo and junior catcher Kimberly Basile (Levittown, N.Y.) and an RBI single by junior Julia Walpole (Mahopac, N.Y.) to take a 3-2 advantage.
Still trailing by one in the bottom of the fourth, the Knights tied the game on a wild pitch before sophomore catcher Alyssa Hernandez (Middletown, N.Y.) hit a two-run homer to take a 5-3 advantage.
MSMC added three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, while holding FSC scoreless to pick up the 8-3 win.
Rivera was 1-for-2 at the plate in game two with a walk and one run scored, while Cardenales was 1-for-2 with one run scored. Freshman left fielder Jackie Nieman (Seaford, N.Y.) was 1-for-1 in her only plate appearance off the bench.
For the Knights, Hernandez, Oury and junior shortstop Emily Lang (Westtown, N.Y.) all homered in the victory.
FSC has earned a first-round bye and will be hosting the four-team double-elimination portion of the tournament from Friday, May 3rd to Sunday, May 5th.
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