WILMINGTON, N.C. — Stony Brook softball edged out UNC Wilmington, 4-1, on Friday evening.
Crimson Rice went the distance to earn her seventh win in her last eight starts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Kyra McFarland and Alyssa Costello singled to open the contest but advanced no further after Wilmington's starter retired the next three batters via the strikeout.
- Crimson Rice started her evening with a 1-2-3 bottom of the first.
- The second inning saw the script flipped, with the Seawolves being retired in order and the Seahawks stranding a pair after back-to-back, one-out base hits.
- Rice left a pair on base in the third inning as well, working around a lead-off walk and a single. Stony Brook cut down a run at the plate after a rundown on a ground ball hit to third base.
- Stony Brook was again retired in order in the third, making it 15 consecutive Seawolves set down.
- Madelyn Stepski made an error, allowing a lead-off base runner to begin the fifth but made up for it just as quickly by starting a 5-4-3 double play.
- Emily Reinstein snapped a streak of 16 straight retired by singling with one out in the fifth. She moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt, but Stony Brook could not break the ice in the scoring column.
- Stony Brook broke through offensively in the sixth inning, pushing four runs across. The Seawolves strung together six straight hits to start the inning to take a 3-0 lead. The fourth run scored on a Reinstein ground out, padding the advantage to four runs.
- Rice took care of business in the sixth inning and despite a lead-off triple in the seventh inning, shut the door and finished off a complete-game victory in the series opener.
STATS AND NOTES
- Six of Stony Brook's 10 hits came in the sixth inning. The Seawolves scored all four runs during the sixth, with Stepski, Mia Vannelli and Emma Scheitinger registering a run batted in.
- Rice improved to 9-4 on the season, going the distance for the seventh time. She has earned a win in seven of her last eight starts and is unbeaten in six straight starts against conference foes.
- McFarland and Costello both tallied a pair of hits. McFarland (20) and Costello (15) lead the squad in multi-hit games. McFarland (25) and Costello (15) both also extended their on-base streaks, with Costello hitting safely for the 14th straight game.
- Stony Brook's streak of 12 straight conference victories stands as the second longest streak in the nation, behind Boston University's 33.
- The victory represented Stony Brook's third straight over UNC Wilmington, dating back to 2023.
UP NEXT
Stony Brook and UNC Wilmington continue the series on Saturday, April 19. First pitch is scheduled for 4 pm from North Carolina, streaming live on FloCollege.
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