April 17, 2008

Game One Box Score

Game Two Box Score

New Rochelle, N.Y. - A two-out RBI double in the top of the seventh by junior Kelly Oberto (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) proved to be the difference for Stony Brook, in a 2-1 victory over Iona in New Rochelle, N.Y. Thursday. In game two, sophomore Casey Jacobs (Davie, Fla.) not only went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, but also recorded the win, as the Seawolves swept the two-game series with a 6-4 win to improve to 20-16-1 (5-6 America East).

Stony Brook managed just one hit over the first five innings of game one against Iona's Becky Riccitelli, but sophomore Kendall Blumenthal (Frederick, Md.) opened up the sixth with a first-pitch single. Sophomore Crista Cerrone (Floral Park, N.Y.) then bunted Blumenthal over to second and senior Ashley Westphal (Huntington Beach, Calif.) bunted her over to third. Junior Molly Kestranek (St. Mary's, Ga.) then knocked Blumenthal in with a triple to right field to give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead.

After sophomore Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) retired Iona in order in the bottom of the sixth, Stony Brook struck again in the seventh. Sophomore Vicki Kavitsky (Cherry Hill, N.J.) beat out an infield single to shortstop and then stole second before Oberto's two-out RBI double to left field.

Struzenberg issued three walks in the bottom of the seventh to load the bases for Iona before being replaced by Jacobs. An RBI single for the Gaels pulled them within one, but the Seawolves infield completed a double-play to end the threat and the game.

The win was Struzenberg's 13th on the season, while Jacobs picked up her third save of the year.

Stony Brook took advantage of two first-inning errors by Iona to jump out to an early lead in game two. Junior Kelsi Fanelli (Audubon, N.J.) had an RBI single, while junior Marissa Fleury (Mahopac, N.Y.) and sophomore Jade Clare (Federal Way, Wash.) both had sacrifice RBI for a 3-0 advantage.

In the second inning, Jacobs had a leadoff double to right before being bunted over to third by sophomore Katelyn O'Donnell (Kingston, Mass.). Freshman Brijette Martin (New York, N.Y.), playing in her first game of the year since returning from injury, then singled to right field for her first RBI of the season.

Freshman Colleen Matthes (Severn, Md.) was solid for the Seawolves through the first three innings, but struggled in the fourth, walking in a run before being replaced by Jacobs. The Gaels would eventually score twice in the fourth to pull within two.

However, back-to-back RBI singles by Jacobs and O'Donnell in the top of the fifth pushed the Stony Brook lead back to four runs.

Iona scored twice more in the bottom of the fifth on two hits and three Stony Brook errors, to put the score at the final of 6-4. The win gives Jacobs a 5-2 record on the season.

Stony Brook returns to conference action this weekend with a three-game series against Binghamton, starting at noon on Saturday in Vestal, N.Y.