Updated Stats
Rochester, NY – The Nazareth softball team closed the 2017-18 season with a split against Houghton, squeezing out a 2-1 victory in game one, before falling short, 9-5, in game two. The Golden Flyers finish the season 11-19 overall and 4-10 in league play, while Houghton moves to 13-21 and 2-12 in conference games.
Game 1 – Nazareth 2, Houghton 1
Junior
Marissa Tortora continued her torrid stretch, hitting a two-RBI double in the fifth to help Nazareth gain the lead for good at 2-1.
Delaney St. George walked to open the inning and
Janelle Walters successfully bunted herself on as the next batter. After
Katherine Ruoff moved the runners into scoring position, Tortora delivered a double off the fence for the only runs Nazareth would need.
Houghton notched an unearned run to open up the scoring in the second, however,
Kylie Smith minimized the damage by getting out of the inning with the bases loaded. She pitched well for the Golden Flyers, allowing just five hits and striking out four to pick up her sixth win of the season.
Stephanie Mongelli (2-for-3) had two of Nazareth's five hits in the win.
Game 2 – Houghton 9, Nazareth 5
Houghton's Taylor Sile hit a pair of three-run home runs to help propel the Highlanders to a 9-3 game two victory.
The visitors broke the scoreless drought with three runs in the fourth – two of them being unearned to open up a 3-0 lead against
Baileasue Rounds.
Nazareth clawed back with two runs in the bottom half, making it 3-2.
Kristen Simmons made good on a lead-off double from Mongelli, knocking her in with an RBI single. Later in the inning,
Jessica Mount scored Simmons with a double.
In the fifth, Smith came in to pitch with two runners on, only to have Sile drill a three-run shot to center, which extended the advantage to 6-2. Rounds lasted 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs (2 earned), while striking out one.
Madison Joseph brought Nazareth to within 6-3 with an RBI single in the fifth, however, Nazareth left two runners on to end the inning. She was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Sile hit her second dinger in the seventh to up the advantage to 9-3. In the bottom half, Mongelli (3-for-4) and Joseph (2-for-4) had RBI singles to round out the scoring.
Simmons was 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Tortora went 2-for-4.
