DOYLESTOWN (PA)---The Delaware Valley softball team used a pair of first inning runs to win their home opener 2-0 against Marywood University before squandering a lead in the seventh inning of game two and falling 8-3 in eight innings.
GAME ONE
Aggies starting pitcher Olivia Monismith worked out of a first inning, second and third, one out jam by getting consecutive batters to pop out to shortstop Yasmine Gonzalez to end the inning.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Aggies put their first two runners on when Sierra Ripka led off with a single and Caitlyn Pollock reached on an error after a successful sacrifice bunt. Both runners would come around to score on an error when Emily Merrigan ripped a grounder to shortstop.
Those two runs ended up being the only runs of the game, as Monismith finished with a shutout, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out six. She left two runners stranded in the top of the fourth, the only other time after the first inning the Pacers threatened with multiple runners on base.
The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Maywood.
GAME TWO
The Pacers finally got the bats rolling at the start of game two, as the visitors strung together three hits to load the bases before scoring two runs on a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice fly to lead 2-0.
DelVal answered in the bottom of the inning, when Sierra Ripka walked to leadoff before stealing second. After Pollock singled to right, she was thrown out stealing second which allowed Ripka to come home on the throw, cutting the Marywood lead to 2-1 after the first.
After an Alyssa Gerdy single, a Mackenna Cooper walk and a Pacer error, Carly Mahal came to bat with the bases loaded and nobody out. Mahal singled to center to bring home Gerdy, but Cooper was thrown out trying to score from second by Samantha Baltrusaitis from center field. After the play finished, the home plate umpire ruled that Mahal was out of the box when she made contact. Marywood head coach John Butash had the option to bring everyone back to their bases and rule a strike on Mahal (resulting in a 1-1 count), or choose the result of the play. Butash decided to stick with the result of the play after a lengthy discussion with the umpire, giving the Aggies a run and taking the out at home plate.
DelVal then took the lead with Adina Brucie at the plate when a wild pitch allowed Gonzalez to score from third to give the Aggies a 3-2 lead after two innings.
The score remained 3-2 until the top of the seventh when Marywood led off the inning with back-to-back walks. After a fielder's choice put runner on the corners with one out, Marywood tied the game on an error.
The Aggies were unable to win it in the bottom of the seventh, pushing the game to extra innings.
The Pacers saved their biggest inning of the day for their final at-bats, as they plated five runs on four hits and were helped out by three Aggie errors in the inning to go on to win 8-3.
Gianna Marsico, who pitched game one for the Pacers, came on in relief to record the final two outs of the second before allowing just one hit the rest of the way, finishing with her fourth win of the season, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out four.
Monismith finished with a career-high ten strikeouts in the circle for DelVal in game two.
Caitlyn Pollock went 2-for-4 in game two with a double.
The Aggies return to action for MAC Freedom doubleheader Saturday, March 26th against DeSales at 1 p.m.
