STONY BROOK, N.Y. - The Seawolves are officially four-for-four in making the CAA tournament after a walk-off double from Malorie Hill punched their ticket in a 4-3 win in the regular season finale vs. Drexel.
Saturday also marked Senior Day for the Seawolves, with Jayci Finch, Rachael Brown, Marissa Thalassinos, Kaiya Simpkins, Madelyn Stepski, and Naiah Ackerman all being honored before the game.
How It Happened
- With the bases loaded in the first, Ackerman dove to stop a sharp liner up the middle and extended her glove to the bag to end the inning without allowing a run to score.
- After a 1-2-3 top of the second for Aubrey Jepson, though, the Dragons tagged her for one run each in the fourth and the fifth to take a 2-0 lead.
- Drexel would add another run to its lead in the top of the sixth with a one-out double. Jayci Finch came in to get to final two outs of the inning, stranding runners on second and third.
- Meanwhile, Stony Brook's bats were blanked over the first six innings, with Drexel's Courtney Kols throwing a perfect game through six.
- All of this changed in the bottom of the seventh, however, as Simpkins came in to pinch hit in the lead off spot and immediately drew a four-pitch walk. Two batters later, Brown came through with her biggest hit of the year with a two-run bomb to left to break up the shutout and the no-hitter. The Seawolves were not done yet, as June McGrath knocked a pinch-hit single, followed by a base hit from Ackerman to put runners on first and second with two outs. It all came down to Malorie Hill, who worked a 1-1 count before dropping in left just under the glove of the diving left fielder to plate both runners and send Stony Brook to the postseason.
Stats and Notes
- All six seniors saw action in their final game at University Field.
- Finch earned the win to bring her to 11 on the season, while also lower her ERA to 2.85.
- Brown's home run was her ninth of the year, while her two RBIs bring her total to 36.
- Hill's walk off was the first of her career.
Up Next
With the Seawolves advancing to the CAA Championship, they will now make the trip down to the host site in Elon, N.C. where they open the tournament against No. X X next Wednesday. Every game of the tournament will be streamed live on FloCollege.
For an inside look at the Stony Brook softball program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
