Game 1: Farmingdale State - 3, Mount Saint Mary - 0
Game 2: Farmingdale State - 6, Mount Saint Mary - 0
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The Farmingdale State College softball team swept visiting Mount Saint Mary College Sunday afternoon, clinching the No. 1 seed for this coming week's six-team Skyline Conference Championship. The Rams took the first game, 3-0, and followed with a 6-0 win in the second contest.
FSC, winners in 19 of its last 20 games, finishes their regular-season schedule a program-best 17-1 record in the Skyline, and a 26-3 overall mark.
It was Senior Day at Farmingdale State and a special pregame ceremony was held to honor Julianna Prescia (Oakdale, N.Y.), Priscilla Rivera (Brentwood, N.Y.) and Jessica Clark (Selden, N.Y.), who were playing in their final regular season home games.
After allowing a pair of singles to open game one, Farmingdale State senior pitcher Allie Stanya (Manorville, N.Y.) (W, 12-1) did not allow a hit the remainder of the game to lead the Rams to the complete game, shutout. Stanya struck out three batters and set down the final 17 batters in order.
FSC pushed across a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning as sophomore right fielder Jenna Giliberti (Bellmore, N.Y.) and junior first baseman Brooke Walker (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) tallied back-to-back two-out singles. Freshman Ava Shorr (North Babylon, N.Y.) batted next and after fouling off multiple pitches, knocked a base hit through the right side. Giliberti scored easily before a throwing miscue by the Knights (19-16, 15-3 Skyline) allowed Walker to score.
The Rams third run came in the second inning after sophomore third baseman Angelina Capuano (Sayville, N.Y.) walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Prescia and scored on a Clark single up the middle.
Giliberti had two hits and a run scored, while Capuano recorded a hit, walk and run scored. Four other Rams had a hit in the 3-0 game one win.
In the nightcap, Shorr (W, 13-1) tossed a complete-game shutout, scattering one hit and two walks while fanning five in her 101-pitch effort.
The Rams quickly scored three runs on five hits in bottom of the first inning against the Knights (19-16, 15-3) to take control of the game. Senior catcher Lyndsey Shaw (Sayville, N.Y.) knocked a lead-off double before Rivera singled on a bunt. Giliberti followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Shaw and put Farmingdale State on the board. Two batters later, Shorr drove in Rivera with an RBI single. After Capuano and Prescia recorded infield singles to load the bases, Clark drew a walk to give FSC the 3-0 edge.
Giliberti hit an RBI single to score Shaw in the bottom of the fourth, with the former coming home one batter later on Walker's double to left-center field to push the hosts' edge to 5-0. Farmingdale State accounted for the final score one inning later, when Capuano came home on Clark's RBI ground out.
Six of the Rams' 1-through-7 hitters collected two hits apiece in game 2, while Giliberti and Clark both registering two RBI.
By virtue of holding the No. 1 seed, head coach Liz Pennino's Rams will play host to the four-team, double-elimination portion of the Skyline Championship, May 5-7 (Thu.-Sat.). Further details will be added as the championship field is finalized.
*****