March 28, 2009

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's softball team outscored Binghamton, 21-2, in both teams' America East opening doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at University Field. Juniors Crista Cerrone (Floral Park, N.Y.) and Kendall Blumenthal (Frederick, Md.) combined to go 5-for-6 with two home runs and five RBI in the 8-0 game one victory, and junior Vicki Kavitsky (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and seniors Marissa Fleury (Mahopac, N.Y.) and Kelly Oberto (Spring Lake Heights, N.J.) drove in a combined 11 runs in the 13-2 game two win. With the wins, Stony Brook extends its winning streak to 14-straight games and improves to 18-3 (2-0 America East).

The Seawolves used two big innings to score the majority of their runs in game one, starting with a four-run second. Senior Kelsi Fanelli (Audubon, N.J.) opened things up with a one-out double down the left field line and advanced to third on an illegal pitch. Blumenthal then drove in her first run of the game with a perfectly executed suicide squeeze. A double to leftcenter, which took an odd bounce off the wall, by junior Jade Clare (Federal Way, Wash.) would score Blumenthal all the way from first. Two batters later, Kavitsky also doubled to leftcenter, plating two more runs.

Stony Brook managed just one hit over the next two innings, but then the offense took over again, starting with a leadoff homer to center by Cerrone, her first home run of her career. Four batters later, with runners on second and third, Blumenthal would strike again, this time with a rope to right center, which scored two and put the Seawolves up 7-0.

Cerrone would leadoff the sixth with her second homer of the game giving Stony Brook the run-rule 8-0 victory in six innings. Junior Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) was not as crisp in the circle as usual, allowing six hits and four walks, but did strikeout nine on the way to the complete-game shutout and her eighth victory of the season.

SBU got off to a rocky start in game two, as the Bearcats received a two-out double from Deannie Plemon in the top of the first to jump ahead 2-0. The Seawolves would answer quickly though, as senior Molly Kestranek (St. Mary's, Ga.) lined a two-out triple down the right field line. After a walk by Fleury, Oberto tied the game up with a double to right centerfield.

Stony Brook broke things open in the third, receiving a pair of three-run homers on the way to a seven-run frame. Fleury bombed the first homer of the inning to right before Kavitsky nailed hers over the center field fence. In between the fireworks, Clare added an RBI single.

The Seawolves would tack on four more runs in the fourth, started by Oberto who crushed a line-drive home run to left centerfield. Clare would drive in a run with a fly-out to right and Kavitsky would knock in her fourth of the game with a single up the middle.

Junior Casey Jacobs (Davie, Fla.), who replaced starter sophomore Colleen Matthes (Severn, Md.) in the third inning, earned her fifth win of 2009, allowing just one hit in 2.2 innings while striking out five.

Weather permitting, Stony Brook and Binghamton will wrap-up their three-game series Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.