PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Scoring twice in the seventh inning to take Game Two in walk-off fashion, the Pace University softball team split a Friday afternoon doubleheader against Dominican College. Bouncing back from a 7-6 loss in the opener, the Blue and Gold picked up a 9-8 win in the finale to move their record to 17-19 on the season.

Inside the Numbers
*On a day where runs were aplenty, Aby Brambila (Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park) provided the biggest hit of the day with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh of Game Two to earn a Pace victory. The junior catcher was 3-for-7 at the plate across the two games, recording a pair of runs in the opener and an RBI in each contest. She hit her first home run of the season in Game One.
 
*Niyah Brown (Chino, CA/Chino Hills) went 3-for-4 in the finale, scoring two runs while collecting a pair of RBIs. After another great day at the dish, the freshman's batting average sits at .378.

*Larissa Labs (Carlsbad, CA/San Marcos High School) had a 5-for-7 line across the doubleheader, including a perfect 4-for-4 in Game Two. The senior drove in three runs, scored twice and collected her second stolen base of the season. She is now hitting .409 on the season.

*Jillian Gartner (Encinitas, CA/San Dieguito Academy) had two hits in each game, going 4-for-7 on the day. The sophomore had two RBIs and scored three runs with two doubles and a triple.

 *Emma Schafer (Mission Viejo, CA/El Toro) hit her first home run of the season with a two-run shot in Game One as part of her three-RBI day.

*Jaclyn Flores (Escondido, CA/San Pasqual High School) picked up her fifth win of the season with a complete-game effort in Friday's finale. The senior allowed four earned runs while striking out two.

Game One Recap: Dominican 7, Pace 6
The Setters struck first in the opener, scoring three times in the second inning. After Gartner and Brambila advanced to second and third on a Gartner double, both came around to score on a pair of Dominican errors to go ahead 2-0. Ashley Lew (New City, NY/Clarkstown High School North) then singled and stole second and third to score on a Labs single later in the inning to give Pace a three-run lead.
 
The Chargers got a run back in the top of the third off a pair of hits, but Pace responded with another three-spot in the bottom half. A solo shot from Brambila and a two-run homer off the bat of Schafer three batters later extended Pace's lead to 6-1.

Dominican was kept in check until the fifth inning, where the Chargers capitalized on a Pace error to get back into the game. After Emma Bernet (Baldwinsville, NY/Charles W Baker) was able to retire two batters following a leadoff walk, a single and an error opened the doors for the Chargers. Dominican would plate four runs, all unearned, to pull to within one.

The Chargers would tie the game at 6-6 in the sixth off an Alyssa Siess double and pull ahead in the seventh with another RBI hit off the bat of Siess. The Setters were unable to generate a response, getting only one baserunner across the final three innings as Dominican took the opener, 7-6.

Game Two Recap: Pace 9, Dominican 8
Another high-scoring contest kicked off quickly as Pace jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning. After a scoreless top half from Flores in the circle, Brown collected an RBI single with one out to score Labs, while Gartner hit her second double of the day one batter later to plate Brown.
 
Dominican responded quickly with three runs in the second, while a Samantha Fitzgerald home run to begin the third extended the Charger lead to 4-2. The Setters would get a run of their own in the bottom half as Brown singled through the right side to score Labs.

The Chargers reclaimed their two-run advantage in the fourth with Fitzgerald drawing a bases-loaded walk. Trailing 5-3, the Blue and Gold bats came to life in the bottom half of the inning with four runs to retake the lead. An Emma Carruth (Torrance, CA/Beverly Hills) bunt single sparked a string of five straight hits to begin the frame, as Lindsey Ah Soon (Ewa Beach, HI/Kamehameha Kapalama) followed up with a double. A Schafer single brought home Carruth, while Lew kept the line moving with a single to score Ah Soon. Labs singled up the middle to score both Pace baserunners as the Setters took a 7-5 lead.

Following scoreless fifth and sixth innings, the stage was set for a dramatic finish. Down to their final out, the Chargers rallied for three runs in the seventh to go ahead, 8-7. An error once again gave Dominican extra life, as the Chargers scored three unearned runs off of Flores to take the late game lead.

Determined to not let another game slip away, the Setters put together some late inning magic of their own. After Brown led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, Gartner hit her first triple of the season to pull the Setters even. With the winning run on third, Brambila played the role of hero, singling up the middle to score Gartner as the Setters took Game Two, 9-8.

Up Next
The Setters will be back in action tomorrow for the second of their three weekend doubleheaders. Pace hosts Queen College starting at noon as the senior class will be honored on Senior Day.