PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University softball team split a pair of home games with Franklin Pierce on Saturday afternoon to take the Setters to 20-9 overall and 8-6 in the NE10.
Game 1 – Pace 6, Franklin Pierce 0
The Setters picked up their 10th straight victory and third shutout in a row with a 6-0 win in the opener.
It was yet another sterling gem from Gisselle Garcia (Lemon Grove, Calif. /Mater Dei Catholic) who tossed a complete game, four-hit, shutout. The freshman finished with 11 strikeouts, her seventh 10+ strikeout performance on the season, and had the Ravens' batters swinging emptily all game-long.
The win improved Garcia's record to 12-3.
Fellow Californian, junior Gwen Pederson (Sylmar, Calif./Granada Hills Charter), ignited the offense with an opening inning 2-RBI double, which was followed in the second inning by a Brittany Walkingstick (Peculiar, Mo./Desert Ridge / Mesa Community College) double, one of her team-high three hits in the contest, to put Pace up 3-0 early.
Then in the bottom of fifth inning, with two runners on, senior Zoie Iverson (Oregon City, Ore./Alliance Charter Academy/ Oregon City High School) crushed her third home run of the season, handing Garcia a six-run advantage late, to put the game away.
Game 2 –Franklin Pierce 6, Pace 2
The Ravens put an end to the Setters' winning streak, 6-2, in the second game of the doubleheader.
Franklin Pierce took a 2-0 lead in the first inning before a monster blast from freshman Brianna Shea (Oceanside, Calif./El Camino ) cut the deficit in half in the fourth. It was Shea's third home run of the season, tying her with Iverson for the team lead.Â
In the bottom of the sixth, Pederson came up clutch again, tying the game on an RBI-single down the right field line to score NancyAnn Revilla (Staten Island, N.Y./Port Richmond) from second base. It was Pederson's team-high second hit of the game.
However, in the top the seventh, the Ravens would tack four runs onto the scoreboard and hold on in the bottom half of the inning for the victory.
Up Next
Pace hosts Bentley University for a Tuesday 2 p.m. doubleheader.
