Staten Island, NY | The College of Staten Island Softball team got their first home win of the season today, doing it against previously undefeated in the ECC, Mercy College, at the CSI Softball Complex.  CSI won the opening game, 3-2, in the doubleheader, before dropping game two, 6-3.  CSI advanced to 3-5 overall and in the ECC, while Mercy is now 6-4 overall, and 5-1 within the conference.

GAME ONE
In a very exciting opening game, both teams took advantage of key mistakes in the game, while gaining some clutch hits in big moments.  The Dolphins gave the ball to starter Emily Koerick, and despite an error in the first inning by CSI and a walk that she issued, was able to get out of a jam, thanks to a base running error by Mercy and a strikeout to end the frame.  CSI responded by grabbing a lead in their half of the first against MC starter Alexi Benson.

Koerick helped her own cause with an infield single, but was caught stealing before Elizabeth Moore got things restarted with a single.  Two batters later Claudia Porcaro would walk to extend the inning, and Moore would end up coming in from second on an infield error, as CSI made the most of the mistake, taking the 1-0 lead.

That lead would hold up until the fifth inning.  Koerick retired the Mavericks in order in the top half.  With one out in the bottom half, Koerick would single to help her own cause again, and then Moore followed with another base hit, advancing Koerick to third base.  Samantha MacPherson would ground out, but Koerick would get home to double the lead at 2-0.

Mercy, however, erased the lead in the top of the sixth, a wild half inning of play.  Hannah Mueller started with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Danielle Burgos followed with a double down the left field line to score Mueller and instantly cut the lead down in half, and then she gained third base on a passed ball.  Burgos would then score on an infield error after Koerick walked a batter, and with the score 2-2, MC had runners at second and third with still no one out.  What could have been a big inning, however, was turned around with clutch play from the Dolphins.  First Koerick struck out Ylanah Bowman, and then Koerick fielded an Alyssa Guzman bunt perfectly to throw out the would-be go-ahead run at home plate.  Then, with Ariana Ricci at the plate, CSI was able to pick off Sydney Johnston at third base, catching her in a rundown to end the frame and the potential for a bigger inning.

CSI went scoreless in the bottom half of the sixth and so did Mercy in the seventh, setting the stage for dramatics in the final bottom half of the inning.  Koerick was in the middle of it again, reaching on an error, and was able to scurry over to second base in the process.  On the very next play, Moore hit one back to the pitcher's circle which Benson fielded cleanly but threw away from the base, allowing Koerick to turn third and score easily in walk-off fashion on MC's second error of the inning and third of the game.

CSI finished out-hitting Mercy, 8-5, as Koerick, Moore, and Isabel Gallo each had two hits.  Koerick's final line was a complete game five hitter, fanning 10 while walking only one, allowing a single earned run.  Benson took the loss, going six innings, yielding three runs (one earned), fanning seven.

GAME TWO
Mercy would get even in the second game, this time maximizing on some clutch hitting at the plate and four Dolphins errors along the way.  Getting her first start of the season for CSI was Nicole Rivera, and she was touched for three runs in the first inning alone, making the most of a CSI error as well.  Hannah Mueller would score the first run after reaching via error and plated on a Johnston single.  Guzman then tripled in another two runs, scoring both Johnston and Bowman to make it 3-0, also unearned runs in the inning.

Needing a response, CSI got one in their half of the first against MC starter Sabrina Gonzalez.  Koerick bunt singled to start, and then with one out MacPherson reached on a two base error that got Koerick to third base. Gallo then ran in Koerick on a sac fly.  Porcaro also then reached on an error scoring MacPherson to make it 3-2.

Fortunately for the Mavericks, those two errors would be their last of the game, and it helped when they added three more runs in the top of the fifth, chasing Rivera in favor of reliever Jaclyn Kateridge.  Mueller scored an RBI-single in the frame and two runs would come home on the play as it was coupled with a CSI error in the outfield, and Burgos added an infield hit as well that scored a run, opening up the lead at 6-2.

Down to their final outs and against reliever Catherine Zucker, CSI was able to scratch out a run, but it wasn't enough.  Koerick would score the run, coming in on another Gallo RBI-hit.

Both teams registered five hits in the second game, with Burgos leading the way for Mercy with a 2-4 performance with an RBI.  Koerick scored another two hit game going 2-3 with two runs scored and a walk.  Gonzalez got the win, going five innings, yielding two unearned runs on four hits, fanning one.  Rivera took the loss, going 4.1 innings, yielding four hits, six runs (three earned) and walking two.

CSI will next travel to Bridgeport for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 15, beginning at 2:30 PM.

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GAME VIDEO

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POSTGAME INTERVIEW

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PHOTO GALLERY

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