ROCHESTER, NY – Junior Maddie Funk threw a complete game allowing just one run and striking out seven batters while senior Janelle Walters had multiple hits in each game for the Nazareth College Softball team as the Golden Flyers split an Empire 8 doubleheader with Elmira College Saturday afternoon on Flyers Field.
Nazareth (1-5 overall, 1-3 Empire 8) won the opener 5-1. Elmira (3-7, 1-3 E8) came from behind with a late rally to win the second game, 11-7.
In the opener Funk was sharp with only one run allowed and scattered six hits. She had seven K's, did not walk a batter and did not surrender an extra base hit.
Walters provided the majority of the offense in the first game with two hits, a run scored and a RBI. Freshman Megan Pum also had a pair of hits in the opener while sophomore Lily Sullivan had a pair of walks and scored twice.
Elmira scored in the first inning but Nazareth tied the score with a run in the third. Sullivan opened the inning with a walk andmoved to second as Walters beat out an infield hit. Junior Aubrin Smith had a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position and fellow junior Jessica Klem grounded out to score Sullivan for the tying run.
In the fourth inning, the Golden Flyers exploded for four runs. Aubrin Smith had the big hit with a bases-loaded double that scored three runners to put Nazareth up 5-1.
Elmira loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth with three consecutive singles but Funk made the final out with a tapper back to the circle to end the threat. She finished the game with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh inning.
In game two, Elmira scored again in the top of the first for the early lead. Nazareth answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning. Walters beat out another infield hit to start the inning and then moved to second on a wild pitch. Aubrin Smith singled to put runners on the corners before a double steal allowed Walters to knot the game at 1-1. Two batters later, sophomore Justine Brooks singled to score Smith for the 2-1 lead.
Elmira scored again in the second to tie the score at 2-2 but Nazareth had another big inning with five runs on six hits to take a 7-2 edge. Junior Sarah Simmons had a two-run single to centerfield to highlight the inning.
The Soaring Eagles chipped away at the lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings and then loaded the bases in the fifth before Katie DiStefano hit a grand slam to give Elmira the lead at 8-7.
Elmira added three more runs in the sixth to cap the scoring.
Walters had another big game at the plate with three hits as she finished the day 5-for-8 with a RBI, three runs and a stolen base. Pum had two more hits in the nightcap and finished 4-for-7 and Allison Smith was 3-for-7 in the twinbill with a run scored and a run batted in.
Nazareth hits the road for a pair of games at Keuka Sunday and returns home Tuesday for a doubleheader against Houghton with a 3 p.m. start.
