April 17, 2003

Final Stats

Stony Brook, N.Y. - The Stony Brook softball team battled from deficits in both games of a doubleheader with Fordham and managed a split with the Rams at University Field on Thursday afternoon.

Fordham (26-14) raced to a 5-2 lead in game one after five innings. After Jamie Chastain scored on an error and an RBI single by Ivy Pollock in the top of the first, the Seawolves responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. A two-run blast over the right centerfield fence by Hayley Durham evened the game at 2-2, but the Seawolves managed just one hit in the next three innings.

Meanwhile, the Rams were piling up eight hits of their own over the next four innings. In the top of the fifth, RBI singles by Samantha Crocker and Brandy Kean gave Fordham a 5-2 lead.

Stony Brook (15-25) began its comeback in the bottom of the fifth. Laura Bradford's RBI single plated Stephanie McCarthy to close the gap to 5-3. In the bottom of the sixth, strong hitting by the Seawolves and poor fielding by the Rams helped Stony Brook earn its first lead. Kristen Brust opened the inning with a double to left centerfield, and Hayley Durham followed with a base hit. Durham then advanced on a wild pitch. Jane Stein approached the plate with no outs and runners at second and third, and she came through with a double to left field. Both Brust and Durham scored to bring Stony Brook to even the game at 5-5. Marissa Servello then reached on an error and Stein reached home on the play to score the winning run.

Durham finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Stein collected a hit and two RBI. Brust finished 2-for-3 at the plate, scoring two runs. Pollock led the way for Fordham with a 3-for-4 outing.

Angela Andrews (9-14) picked up the win on the mound, despite allowing 13 hits. She struck out two and walked two. Fordham's Michelle Schlichtig (16-6) allowed six runs on eight hits, striking out four and walking one in the loss.

Fordham blew open a 1-0 game in the nightcap with a three-run seventh. The Rams took the 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single by Carol Fischer, and Stony Brook could not manage to put together a rally. In the top of the seventh, Stony Brook pitcher Jessica Paparella gave up a bases-loaded walk to Jamie Dautel, and Jamie Chastain scored to put the Rams up 2-0. Later, with two outs, a Stony Brook error allowed two more runs to score for a 4-0 Rams advantage.

The Seawolves managed to make things interesting in the bottom half of the inning, thanks to Stephanie DiBiase and Kristen Brust. With runners at first and third, DiBiase reached on an error and Stephanie McCarthy scored. Two batters later, Brust smacked an RBI double to send Angela Andrews home. But that was all Stony Brook could muster, as Ram pitcher Carol Fischer struck out Hayley Durham to end the game.

Laura Bradford finished 3-for-4 at the plate, while Brust collected two hits and an RBI. Erin Brooks led the way for Fordham with a 3-for-4 effort.

Paparella (6-11) earned the loss, allowing four runs on 10 hits, with three walks and four strikeouts. Fischer (8-6) allowed two runs on eight hits, walking one and striking out five in the win.

Stony Brook returns to action on Saturday when the Seawolves travel to Iona for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is 1 p.m.