ROCHESTER, NY – No. 4 Nazareth saw its season come to a close on Tuesday in the first round of the Empire 8 Softball Championships, as No. 5 Elmira scored five runs in the top of the 7
th to earn a 7-5 come-from-behind victory. Elmira advances to play top-seeded Alfred in the Empire 8 Championships on Thursday.
Nazareth finishes the season 14-17, while the Soaring Eagles move to 20-17.
Elmira started off the scoring in the top of the third but Nazareth responded with three of its own in the bottom half.
Megan Stadel,
Cassidy Hoffmier, and
Justine Brooks all singled to set up a bases loaded situation. Freshman
Maddy Spakoski reached on a fielder's choice and an error on the throw home allowed Stadel to score.
The very next batter, graduate student
Sarah Simmons ripped a liner to center to bring in two RBI and push the #4 seed lead to 3-1.
Elmira had a sacrifice fly in the fourth to make it 3-2.
In the fifth,
Emily Daciw was able to leave runners stranded on first and third with two out, inducing a pop up to third to end the inning.
In the sixth, Elmira had runners on first and second with nobody out but Daciw showed up big, forcing fly outs of the first, second and third batters in Soaring Eagles lineup.
Nazareth added another run in the sixth, with Stadel singling down the line to score
Marissa Berghorn and make it 4-2.
The Soaring Eagles were able to rally in the seventh, loading the bases with no outs, one of the players reaching on an error. After a fly out, a single brought home two runs to tie the game. Another single gave the visitors the lead, followed by a 2-RBI double to make it 7-4.
Senior
Hailie Bennett came in relief to get out of the jam.
Nazareth put up some fight in the seventh with Simmons notching a single for her third RBI of the day, but the Golden Flyers were unable to tack on any more runs. Simmons was 2-for-4, while
Megan Pum and Stadel were 2-for-3. Berghorn finished the game 2-fo-4.
Daciw allowed seven runs (five earned) in 6.1 innings of work, with three strikeouts and four walks.
