By Doug Smith
LEWISTON
May 03, 2008 10:15 pm
—
Niagara U freshman Kristin Sito sealed “a memory for a lifetime” for her senior team mates Saturday. Her game-winning run-off single gave Niagara softball a 4-3 victory and a Senior Day sweep of Rider as the Purple Eagles closed the gate on ’08 with a school-record 27 victories.
Sito also put her stamp on Niagara’s 7-2 victory in the first game, driving home three runs with three hits including a homer.
The games were of little consequence in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, so Niagara (13-3 MAAC, 27-19 overall) was battling relaxation along with Rider and the rain.
“It was important for our team, and especially our seniors, to go out as winners,” said coach Al Dirschberger. “And to have it come on the last pitch of the game? How much more exciting can it be? Years from now all our seniors will be talking about how they won their last home game on the last pitch.”
Concerning the MAAC playoffs next weekend at Fairfield, “We’re not thinking about that right now,” Dirschberger said. “For a day, we’re just going to try to relax and enjoy.”
Enjoyment was running only 50-50 as Niagara came to bat in the sixth inning, down 3-2. Torey Healy led off with a monster homer — Niagara’s third of the day and school-record 54th of the year. After reliever Cassie Stone zeroed the Broncs in the seventh with the help of shortstop Maggie McDonald’s unassisted double play, NU came to the bottom of inning with the bottom of the order, 8-9-1.
Melissa Markle hustled out an infield single. Laynie Stillman replaced her as a pinch runner and beat an attempted force at second on Kristin Kill’s bunt.
After Felicia Coffey sacrificed the runners along, Sito drilled a 1-1 pitch solidly to left. Stillman scored. Party time.
“That’s a very good team, Niagara,” said Rider coach Tricia Carroll after consoling her ninth-place team on its sixth one-run loss in a 4-10 MAAC season (12-32 overall.) “If they can keep the bats together they’ll do very well in the tournament.”
As it happened, runs were scored on both the first and last pitches of the day. Rider started game one with a home run by Candice Harris and Niagara needed a four-run fifth to break a 2-2 tie. Sito delivered a tie-breaking double and Torey Healy banged a two-run shot. Another run scored on an error and McDonald socked a two-run double in the sixth for insurance.
Senior Tiffany McCrory went the distance on a six-hitter, walking none.
Teresa Healy’s slick bunt provoked a wild throw and a 1-0 NU lead in game two. Katy Mills’ RBI double tied it for Rider in the second. Sito’s ground ball plated Coffey to put NU up 2-1 in the fifth but with the rain increasing, Tiffany Day-Neutill homered for Rider in the sixth and Aimee Schiller’s single put the Broncs on top.
Then the Eagles blended longball and smallball to call it a day just in time.
GAME NOTES: The noon start was advanced to 10 a.m., best call of the day, as the post-game ceremonies were conducted in a drenching rain, which nobody minded. The ruined hairdos will probably be part of the memory, too. ... Rider’s Megan Kozlowski was a huge thorn in the Eagles’ side with four hits and solid fielding performances behind the plate and at second base. ... She seemed to have halted McDonnell’s hitting streak with a sliding stop at second in the second game, but McDonnell extended her run to 24 by singling her next time up. ... Senior swan songs: Jamie Constanz, 1-for-2, sacrifice, three assists; Melissa Markle, second-game hit set up winning run, 17 putouts at first; Tiffany McCrory, winning pitcher, added to career records for starts, complete games and innings pitched; Brooke Viola, six solid innings, three strikeouts, rested for tournament; Torey Healy, 5-for-7, two home runs, three RBI, one pickoff. ... Likeliest first-round foe: Fairfield. ... Rider, probably the best ninth-place team in MAAC history, descends to the den of Canisius today.
Full disclosure: Doug Smith is a Rider grad, Class of ’56. Nail him at pollyndoug@hotmail.com
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