NAPLES, FL – Four different players had three hits each in a game while junior Cassidy Hoffmier and senior Emily Daciw recorded four hits each on the day as the Nazareth Softball team won a 10-1 decision over SUNY Cobleskill before dropping a 17-11 decision to Wisconsin-Superior in the second game of the day.
Nazareth (2-2) had 24 hits including 16 in the loss to Superior. The 16 hits are the most in a game since April 2, 2022 against Keuka and the most in Florida since a 16-hit effort against Lesley March 14, 2019.
In the opener, Daciw was dazzling at the plate with a 3-for-3 effort with three runs batted in a run scored and two doubles. She was the winning pitcher as well with a complete-game (five innings) with one runs allowed, one walk and six strikeouts.
Hoffmier was one of the three Golden Flyers with three hits each in the second game as she was 3-for-5 with two runs scored, an RBI and three doubles. Her hit in the first game was also a double.
Graduate student Justine Brooks was 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBI and a double while sophomore Maggie Burdick added a 3-for-4 effort with a run scored.
In the opener, Nazareth took control early with four runs in the top of the first inning and added one more in the third. Cobleskill (1-2) scored its run in the fourth and the Golden Flyers plated five more runs in the fifth to earn the run-rule victory.
In the high-scoring Superior (7-2) game, the Yellowjackets scored a run in the first for an early lead but Nazareth answered with three in the bottom half of the inning to take a lead.
The big hit in the first came off the bat of freshman Maddy Spakoski with a single through the left side of the infield that brought home Simmons and Brooks for the 3-1 lead.
Superior rallied for six runs in the second inning with four hits, a walk and an error to regain the lead at 7-3.
Simmons doubled off the fence in left centerfield to score Brooks as Nazareth nibbled away at the lead to make it 7-4 after two innings.
Superior added a run in the fourth and then scored five times in the fifth to increase its lead to 13-4.
The Golden Flyers battled back and scored seven times in the bottom of the fifth to trim the lead to 13-11.
With Daciw on first and one out in the inning, Burdick singled, senior Hailie Bennett doubled, junior Megan Pum singled, Hoffmier doubled and Brooks singled as four runners scored to trim the lead to 13-8.
Simmons was intentionally walked and junior Marissa Berghorn singled to score three runners as Nazareth closed the gap to 13-11.
Superior answered with four runs in the top of the fifth and neither team was able to score for the rest of the game.
Nazareth continues the Florida Spring Training trip with games against SUNY-Delhi and Crown College Tuesday in Naples.
