D’ALESSANDRO’S THREE HITS NOT ENOUGH AS ADELPHI TAKES TWO FROM SOFTBALL; 11-2, 7-2

Box Score vs. Adelphi (Game One) - April 10, 2009

Box Score vs. Adelphi (Game Two) - April 10, 2009

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. (Apr. 10, 2009) - Junior catcher Tiffany D'Alessandro (Wantagh, N.Y.) led the Molloy College softball team with three hits on Friday, including two RBI, but her efforts weren't enough as the Lions lost a pair to the Panthers of Adelphi University by finals of 11-2 and 7-2, respectively. In the double dip, D'Alessandro recorded a .500 batting average with a run scored in addition to her hit total. With the decisions, Molloy dropped to 13-16 overall and 4-4 in East Coast Conference play.

Game One - Adelphi 11, Molloy 2

Adelphi got off to a fast start in the first game as senior outfielder Samantha Johnston (Port Jervis, N.Y.) opened the game with a single. After stealing second, she advanced to third on a base hit off the bat of senior shortstop Jessica Vogt (Lindenhurst, N.Y.). Johnston then tagged, and came in when senior third baseman Diana DiPiano (Valley Stream, N.Y.) flied out to left field. A second run was plated in the inning came via a RBI base knock from sophomore infielder Stephanie Byster (Jackson, N.J.).

The Panthers (15-7, 6-2 ECC) added to their 2-0 lead in the second as junior first baseman/outfielder Katie Brophy (Beaverton, Ore.) led off the frame with a single up the middle. She came around to score on an RBI double by Johnston. Two batters after Johnston, Vogt gave Adelphi a 5-0 advantage with a two-run blast to left- center field.

The third inning saw both teams puts runs on the board. In the Panthers' frame, senior infielder Christina O'Hara (Deer Park, N.Y.) laced a one-out hit up the middle. The next batter, Brophy put runners on first and second when she was hit by the pitch. Two batters later, Johnston singled in the two runners, putting Adelphi ahead 7-0. Two batters after Johnston, Vogt continued her power surge with a double that plated two more runs. Byster capped the scoring in the frame with a single to center that brought home Johnston. 

The Lions responded in their half of the frame as junior outfielder Erin Rut (East Meadow, N.Y.) singled with one out. Junior outfielder Shannon Skeggs (Massapequa, N.Y.) matched Rut's single with a base hit of her own. Sophomore shortstop/second baseman Alexandra Sydor (Glen Cove, N.Y.) connected on the single of the inning, loading the bases for D'Alessandro. D'Alessandro promptly got Molloy on the board with a single the other way driving in Rut and Skeggs.

In the circle, freshman pitcher/outfielder Allison Ryan (Seaford, N.Y.) scattered thirteen hits and was touched up for ten runs, six of them earned in her three innings of work. She walked and struck out one batter each and hit two batters in the loss for the Lions. As for the Panthers, junior pitcher/outfielder Christine Robinson (Oceanside, N.Y.) tossed a complete-game four-hitter. In picking up her sixth win of the season, she allowed only four hits and two earned runs, while fanning four Lions' hitters.

Game Two - Adelphi 7, Molloy 2

In the second game, the Panthers broke a scoreless tie in their half of the third as senior catcher Angela Martin (Wantagh, N.Y.) connected on a one-out single to center. She was followed by Johnston, who promptly hit her own single through the left side.  With two people on, Vogt put Adelphi up 3-0 with a home run to center. Molloy got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth as Sydor drew a bases-loaded walk following three singles from freshman infielder/outfielder Meghan Karpinski (Bethpage, N.Y.).

In the Adelphi fifth, the Panthers scored four runs to put the game away for good. After Johnston led off with a single, she came around on Vogt single, her fourth RBI of the game. DiPiano followed Vogt and promptly homered to left field to give Adelphi a 6-1 advantage. Later that inning, Brophy brought in the seventh run due to a fielding error from the shortstop.  The Lions loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, but pushed only one run across as Karpinski singled in D'Alessandro, who also had a base hit earlier in the frame.

On the mound, sophomore pitcher Lauren Urbont (Long Beach, N.Y.) pitched a complete game in defeat. She was responsible for the seven earned runs that came on nine Panthers' hits.  She struck out two batters and walked two to bring her record to 5-10 on the season. Adelphi sophomore pitcher Leighann Bell (East Islip, N.Y.) went the distance to raise her record to 6-3. She surrendered nine hits and two runs, while recording two strikeouts and two walks in the victory.

Head Coach Susan Cassidy-Lyke and the Lions are next in action this Monday as they travel to Philadelphia, Pa. to face Philadelphia University in a doubleheader. First pitch for Game One is scheduled for 3 p.m.