SPARKILL, NY – The College of Staten Island softball team made its first-ever appearance in the East Coast Conference (ECC) Tournament on Thursday afternoon, taking on top-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas College in game one of the postseason tournament in Sparkill, NY.
The contest began as a pitcher's duel through the first five innings, as CSI's Marena Grenier delivered a standout performance in the circle. Despite the Dolphins outhitting the Spartans 8-1, STAC managed to escape with a 2-1 victory with two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Milene Mendoza recorded the Dolphins' first hit of the afternoon in the top of the second inning, helping spark momentum for CSI. The Dolphins continued to apply pressure throughout the game, putting at least one runner on base in every inning, but were unable to break through until the sixth.
Abbie Morris, an ECC Second Team selection this season, led off the sixth with a single before Madilyn Paul, also an ECC Second Team selection, followed with another hit. Paul later advanced to third on a passed ball, and with two outs, Mendoza worked the count before another passed ball allowed Paul to score the game's first run, giving CSI a 1-0 lead; its first lead of the season against the Spartans.
The momentum quickly shifted in the bottom half of the inning. After a Dolphins error that would have been the second out of the frame, the Spartans capitalized with three straight walks to tie the game before a sacrifice fly plated the go-ahead run for a 2-1 advantage.
Presley Borne opened the seventh inning with a leadoff walk to give CSI one final opportunity, but the Spartans retired the next three batters to secure the win.
Morris and Borne paced the Dolphins with two hits each, while Mendoza, Paul, Bridget Motley, and Rose Joseph each added one hit. Grenier was dominant in the circle, allowing just one hit across 7.0 innings pitched.
The Dolphins will next face No. 3 seed D'Youville in an elimination game scheduled for 12:30 p.m. A win would advance CSI to a second game at 3 p.m. against the winner of St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy.
