April 17, 2010

Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Stony Brook University's softball team took a pair of games from Rider on Saturday afternoon at University Field. The Seawolves outlasted the Broncs, 2-1, in game one before taking the second game, 10-1, in five innings. Senior Vicki Kavitsky (Cherry Hill, N.J.) went 5-for-7 on the day with a double and a home run. Stony Brook is now 21-12-1 on the season.

Stony Brook needed just one hit to score its first run of the game, as it took advantage of two errors and a hit-batsmen in the first inning. Rider's Rachael Matreale allowed just two more hits for the rest of the game while recording ten strikeouts.

Senior Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City, Fla.) was just as dominant, however, striking out 14 batters while allowing only four hits. Two of those hits came in the fourth inning, in which Rider tied the game up at 1-1 on an RBI single to short. Struzenberg would all but shutdown the Broncs' offense after that, with eight of the last nine outs coming on strikeouts.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the rain picking up, senior Katelyn O'Donnell (Kingston, Mass.) drew a leadoff walk. Kavitsky then singled to put runners on first and second. Visibly shaken by the wet conditions, Matreale allowed the runners to advance to second and third on a wild pitch. After a groundout, Matreale threw a second wild pitch which allowed O'Donnell to score from third, giving the Seawolves the 2-1 victory.

Stony Brook broke open game two with a two-out rally in the fourth. Tied 1-1 with senior Kendall Blumenthal (Frederick, Md.) on second, sophomore Suzanne Karath (Fishkill, N.Y.) single through the right side. Rider quickly relayed the ball in from right field in time to catch Blumenthal attempting to score, but she side-stepped the catcher's tag attempt to score safely and break the tie. A walk and a single later, SBU tacked on a second run to move in front 3-1.

The Seawolves would go on to score seven runs in the fifth, highlighted by a bases loaded double by O'Donnell which scored three and then a two-run homer by Kavitsky which ended the game. Junior Colleen Matthes (Severn, Md.) overcame six walks to pick up her fourth win of the season.

SBU takes to the road tomorrow to play a doubleheader at Rhode Island. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.