ALBANY, N.Y. – Freshman first baseman
Annie Carberry (Colorado Springs, CO/Pine Creek) and sophomore left fielder
Tara Bernstein (Glen Oaks, NY/Bayside High School) provided two big RBI singles in the top of the seventh to tie the game, but the Pace University softball team's seventh-inning comeback was not enough, as the College of Saint Rose walked off in the bottom of the inning to pick up a 3-2 win in Friday's Northeast-10 Conference matchup at Cathy Haker Field. The Setters fall to 19-11 overall and 12-4 in NE-10 play, while Saint Rose jumps to 10-19 and 5-8. The Setters are now 8-4 in Southwest Division games, while Saint Rose improves to 5-5 in the division.
The Setters came into the seventh trailing the Golden Knights, 2-0. Junior second baseman
Haley Hernandez (West Hills, CA/El Camino Real) opened the inning with a single up the middle. With one away, junior
Nikole Larm (Brewster, NY/Brewster) came up as a pinch hitter, and picked up a hit to center that also advanced Hernandez to third. Carberry then singled into left field, bringing Hernandez around to score and cut the deficit in half. Sophomore
Joyce LaBonte (Bolton, MA/Nashoba Regional High School) was then hit with a pitch, loading the bases for the Setters.
Bernstein came up with the bases full, and hit a high pop-up into center. The ball dropped into no-man's land between the shortstop, second baseman and center fielder, allowing freshman
Hannah Kowalski (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) to score from third and tie the game. The Setters' eventually stranded the bases loaded, but not before forcing Saint Rose to have to hit again.
Catcher Zoe Dubois led off the bottom of the seventh by getting hit with a pitch. Right fielder Grace Jacobs then beat out a bunt toward first base. Designated player Briana Bowen then walked to load the bases before an out could be recorded. Second baseman Taylor Solomon then got the job done, hitting a fly ball into center field, deep enough to bring Dubois in from third to end the game.
Saint Rose starter Nicole Wickham improved to 6-8 after going the complete seven innings and allowing two runs. She gave up 11 hits to the Setters, and struck out two batters. Sophomore starter
Jaclyn Flores (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual High School) falls to 6-3 on the year with the loss.
Carberry hit 3-for-4 with an RBI and a double in Friday's contest. Bernstein batted 2-for-3, matching Carberry with a double and an RBI. Hernandez went 2-for-4 with a run scored, while sophomore shortstop
Ashley Lew (New City, NY/Clarkstown High School North) and sophomore right fielder
Jordan Chillinsky (Carlsbad, CA/Carlsbad High School) each hit 1-for-3.
Saint Rose was led by Solomon's two RBIs after she went 1-for-2 with a sacrifice fly. Dubois batted 2-for-2 with two runs scored. Right fielder Tina Karaqi hit 1-for-2 with an RBI.
The Setters will look to come back and win the series on Saturday, April 16, when they face the Golden Knights in a doubleheader at Cathy Haker Field. First pitch of game one is set for 12 p.m.
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www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace Athletics on Facebook (
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