BRIARCLIFF MANOR, N.Y. – Sophomore designated player
Surina Sandhu (Elk Grove, CA/Elk Grove High School) capped off a strong weekend with a walkoff fielder's choice to lift the Pace University softball team to a 4-3 Northeast-10 Conference victory over Le Moyne College on Saturday at Pace Field, securing a three-game sweep of the Southwest Division Rival Dolphins. Pace jumps to 12-6 overall and a perfect 6-0 in NE-10 play with the win, while Le Moyne falls to 15-11 and 3-5.
Sophomore shortstop
Ashley Lew (New City, NY/Clarkstown High School North) opened the bottom of the seventh with a bunt single. Sophomore center fielder
Larissa Labs (Carlsbad, CA/San Marcos High School) followed suit to put two runners on for the Setters. Junior second baseman
Haley Hernandez (West Hills, CA/El Camino Real) then grounded out to first to move both runners into scoring position. That gave Sandhu the opportunity to win the game, which she succeeded in doing on a ground ball to second. The throw went home, but Lew beat it easily to start the celebration.
Pace took the first lead of the game in the bottom of the second when Lew singled in senior third baseman
Victoria Quinones (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) from second to put the home team up, 1-0. Junior starter
Kaitlynn Nelson (Ojai, CA/Nordhoff)'s scoreless streak came to an end at 23.1 innings after shortstop Courtney Case's RBI double in the top of the third that tied the game at 1-1.
The Setters responded in the bottom of the fourth to take their second lead of the game. They took advantage of mistakes by the Dolphins by loading the bases by way of error, hit-by-pitch and a fielder's choice that did not result in an out. Freshman
Lindsey Ah Soon (Ena Beach, HI/Kamehameha Kapalama) came up clutch in a pinch-hit opportunity for the second time in as many days, hitting a sacrifice fly to right to bring in freshman first baseman
Annie Carberry (Colorado Springs, CO/Pine Creek) and put Pace up, 2-1. Lew then singled through the right side, scoring Quinones to make it a two-run lead.
Le Moyne catcher Emily Bagley hit a solo home run to left with two outs in the top of the sixth, cutting the deficit down to one. Senior
Caitlin McCann (San Mateo, CA/Notre Dame) then relieved Nelson, and forced a ground out to end the inning.
An error in the top of the seventh came back to hurt the Setters later in the inning. Case reached on an error with one away, and then left fielder Allison Reynolds singled to put two runners on. Third baseman Kelly Mascari then singled up the middle, bringing in Case from second to tie the game. McCann worked her way out of the inning and kept the game tied at three heading into the Setters' final at bat.
McCann got the win to improve to 3-3 after giving up one unearned run in 1.1 innings of relief work. Le Moyne's Alexis Eastman took the loss after giving up the winning run in the seventh. Nelson went 5.2 innings in her eighth start of the season, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out six.
Lew batted 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run to lead Pace on Saturday. Labs hit 2-for-4, while Quinones went 1-for-2 with two runs. Sandhu hit a double and knocked in the game-winning run in a 1-for-4 outing.
Mascari went 2-for-4 with an RBI for Le Moyne. Bagley hit 1-for-3 with her solo home run. Case batted 1-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a double.
After gutting out a challenging three-game sweep this weekend, the Setters face another tough task on Wednesday, March 30, when they visit 2015 Southwest Division Champion Adelphi University in Garden City, N.Y. The NE-10 doubleheader is set to begin at 3 p.m.
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