DALLAS (Pa.) – The Delaware Valley University softball team dropped both games at top-seed Misericordia University as its run in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom championships came to an end in the quarterfinals round. The Cougars (21-4) took game one, 8-0, and won game two, 11-3.
The Aggies (3-22) were held to two hits in the opener, one each off the bats of Adina Brucie and Alexa Jones. Starting pitcher Olivia Monismith went the distance and the defense did not commit an error. She allowed 10 hits and struck out three batters with three walks.
Misericordia scored its first run in the bottom of the first off a hit and a wild pitch and tacked on another in the bottom of the third as Nikki Elliott was plated for the second time. Elliott led the Cougars offensively with a 3-for-3 effort, three RBI, and two runs scored. Alexa McHugh got the win in the circle with nine strikeouts and one walk.
Brucie led off game two with a single through the left side and Makenna Cooper worked a walk, but DelVal was held off the board. In the second, the Aggies had runners at second and third but they were stranded and the game remained tied.
Misericordia got on the board in the bottom of the second with two runs on two hits and two errors. A triple and an error allowed Amanda Butera to score the game's first run. The Cougars broke the game open in the third with six runs on five hits and two errors. Three of the runs were unearned.
DelVal battled back in the top of the fifth with a two-out rally that produced three runs on three hits. Back-to-back singles by Megan Torrey and Cooper brought Brucie, who was aboard with a walk, around to score. Monismith came up next and doubled to left center to clear the bases and make it an 8-3 game. Monismith moved to third on a wild pitch but was stranded there after a ground out to second base.
In the bottom of the fifth, Elliott drove in three with a double to left center to put the game away, 11-3.
Monismith highlighted the day for the Aggies as she came on to pitch in relief and struck out two batters to eclipse the 100 career strikeout plateau. Her 100th came in the bottom of the fourth when she fanned the lead-off hitter on seven pitches, and she added one more in the fifth to put her career total at 101. DelVal had five hits from five different players in the nightcap and surrendered just four earned runs as a team.
