GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – In a tight-knit battle that needed extra innings, the No. 3 Pace University softball team fell to No. 6 Saint Anselm University 3-0 in the second round of the Northeast-10 Championship.
Early on, both sides struggled to find momentum at the plate as Gisselle Garcia and Hailey Hicks went toe-to-toe in the circle. Neither pitcher allowed a runner to reach second base until the third inning when Saint Anselm threatened to score. Pace escaped the Hawks rally and the score remained at zero moving into the bottom half of the third.
In the inning, Carolina Iturriaga knocked the first base hit for Pace but failed to reach home as Saint Anselm shut down the Setter's pressure. In the next three innings, Garcia and Hicks had their way in the circle with only two batters reaching the base paths.
After Garcia kept the Hawks bats quiet in the top of the seventh inning, the Blue and Gold had a chance to walk off the game. A lead-off double from Riley Jenkins put the Setters in position to strike. However, three straight outs left the winning run on third base and the game moved into extra innings.
After a scoreless eighth inning from both sides, the game moved into the ninth with the score still tied 0-0. In the ninth, Saint Anselm took control of the contest, scoring three runs to take a 3-0 advantage into the final half-inning. Gracie O'Hara launched her second home run of the season in the inning to push Saint Anselm ahead.
In the bottom of the ninth Pace had their backs against the wall and needed a rally to extend the contest. Despite Pace's plans, Hicks closed the door on the Setters retiring the side in order and Saint Anselm captured the win by a final score of 3-0.
Hicks tossed a complete game shutout (9.0 IP) allowing four hits while recording six strikeouts. The senior earned her 20th win and her 18th complete game for the season. The Hawks' offense was led by O'Hara as she produced one hit, one run, and two RBIs.
For Pace, Garcia pitched nine innings surrendering five hits, and three earned runs while striking out 11 batters. The outing marks the 15th time this year that she has registered double-digit strikeouts. Offensively, Iturriaga had two hits while Jenkins and Katerina Luna accounted for one each.
The Blue and Gold now turn their attention to the NCAA Regionals as they continue their season next week. Tournament seeding is still to be determined.
