Softball Swept on Monday at Cusic Classic
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Mitchell College softball team dropped a pair of games at the Cusic Classic on Monday, losing a 6-1 decision to Richard Stockton College before falling 10-5 to New Jersey City University.
The first game was tied at 1-1 until Richard Stockton (1-0 overall) pulled ahead for good behind a three-run fifth inning. Starting pitcher Jamie Gasko took care of the rest, allowing only three hits over 7.0 innings to propel the Ospreys to victory.
Mitchell trailed 1-0 after the first inning but promptly answered back. Freshman Lindsey Romagnino led off the second inning with a double to right field and took third base on a fielding miscue. She later scored on a wild pitch to tie the score at 1-1.
Senior starter Marissa Thomas kept the Mariners in the game until the fifth. With two outs and nobody on base, the Ospreys pieced together four straight hits—including three consecutive extra-base knocks—to score three runs. Richard Stockton tacked on two more runs in the sixth on a two-run homer by Grace Long.
Thomas allowed six runs on 12 hits in 6.0 innings of work. She also struck out two and walked one. Romagnino finished with two hits in the game while junior Meghan Burke had the other.
In the day's second game, Mitchell's bats produced five runs on 10 hits. Senior Nikki Hoxie, junior Tiffany Person and freshman Dylan Riccardi each contributed a pair of hits in the game, including one double apiece.
The Mariners fell behind 3-0 in the first inning but answered with single runs in both the second and third frames. Riccardi delivered an RBI double that scored Hoxie in the second, and senior Brittany Zaccaria tripled in the third and scored on a double steal.
Mitchell gave up three more runs in the fourth and trailed 7-1 before rallying for three runs in the sixth. Senior Shannen Pelletier singled up the middle to drive in two and later scored on a double by Person.
The Gothic Knights (2-0 overall) responded with three more runs in the bottom half of the sixth to seal the victory. Sophomore starter Tricia Tomaselli gave up nine runs (four earned) on nine hits in 5.1 innings.
Mitchell (1-5 overall) wraps up play at the Cusic Classic on Wednesday, March 14 with games against Olivet and Wisconsin Lutheran.