April 10, 2011
Box Score
Orono, Maine - The Stony Brook softball team snagged a 9-5 victory over Maine on Sunday to take two of three in the weekend series at Kessock Field. The Seawolves pounded out 14 hits, including three apiece from junior Lauren Maloney (Las Vegas, Nev.) and freshman Jessica Combs (Hammonton, N.J.).
The top five batters in Stony Brook's lineup combined to go 12/21 (.571) at the plate with seven RBI as the Seawolves improved to 12-18 overall and 2-7 in the America East. Maloney, Combs and sophomore Taylor Chain (Gloucester, N.J.) each recorded a pair of RBI's, while junior Bernadette Tenuto (Audubon, N.J.), freshman Elise Fortier (Coventry, R.I.) and sophomore Gina Bianculli (Oakdale, N.Y.) each knocked in one run.
The Seawolves jumped on the Black Bears (15-22, 6-3 America East) early with two runs in the first and two more in the second. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Chain and Combs put Stony Brook up, 2-0, before Bianculli launched her second homer of the season to center to give the Seawolves a three-run lead. Maloney added a fourth run when she singled home junior Suzanne Karath (Fishkill, N.Y), who had reached on an error.
Stony Brook tacked on three more runs in the fourth to go ahead by a score of 7-2. Junior Alyssa Hawley (Spokane, Wash.), playing on her birthday, initiated the rally with a one-out single, and came around to score on a double by Maloney. Tenuto followed with another double to score Maloney, before Chain scored Tenuto with a two-out single to left.
After Maine responded with three runs in the fourth to cut the Stony Brook advantage to 7-5, the Seawolves were able to forge a four-run cushion in the sixth thanks to a pair of RBI singles by Combs and Fortier.
Senior Colleen Matthes (Severn, Md.) fired a complete game and struck out nine batters to pick up her ninth victory of the year. In four appearances over the past week, Matthes posted a 3-1 record with a 1.96 ERA and 23 strikeouts.
Chain led the Seawolves at the plate in five games over the past week with a .571 average (8-for-14) and seven RBI. Tenuto hit .500 (8-for-19) with five RBI in five games, while Maloney swatted eight hits in 17 at-bats to hit .471 with three RBI.
The Seawolves will return home for a doubleheader against Fordham on Wednesday starting at 2 p.m.
