Tucson, AZ | Staten Island battled down 3-1 in the top of the 7th to knot it up 3-3 heading into the bottom of the 7th. With two outs on the board, Tabitha Taylor hit a walk-off homer to knock the Dolphins down to 1-4 on the year while improving to 9-4. The Auggies’ seven-run opening inning sealed the deal for the Dolphins, handing them their second loss of the day to drop them to 1-5 overall.
Game 1: #21 Central College 5, Staten Island 3
Nicolette Trapani started in the circle for the Dolphins and once again pitched a great game. Trapani tallied two strikeouts and allowed 9 hits in the loss. Vanessa Jioia brought her bat out today, going 2-for-4 at the dish with an RBI and a pair of doubles. Antoinette Galbo collected a team-high 2 RBI on two hits. Also, playing well at the plate was Patricia Riches and Arianna DiBenedetto. Riches finished the game 2-for-3 with a run while DiBenedetto went 1-for-2 with a double and a run.
The Dolphins in the top of the 4th had an opportunity to take a large lead with the bases loaded and one out after Central opted to intentionally walk Jamie Holmes. Christina Cerverizzo would strike out swinging and Kristen Meagher would line out to first to end the inning and leave three Dolphins on.
Staten Island would make up for it in the very next inning. DiBenedetto would reach via a base on balls and would move over to second when Julianna Cretella laid down a sacrifice bunt. Riches would be intentionally walked and after one pitch would pull off a double steal with DiBenedetto to put both in scoring position with two outs. With a three and one count, Galbo got the pitch she was waiting for and bunted it just out of the reach of the pitcher to bring DiBenedetto home while safely reaching first giving the Dolphins a 1-0 lead.
The Dutch would answer right back when Tallman would reach via an error by K. Meagher allowing Sexton to score and knot the game up at one. In the bottom of the sixth, a triple to right center drove in a run followed by a pair of doubles which gave the Dutch a 3-1 lead heading into the top of the 7th.
DiBenedetto would double to left field to get a runner in scoring position with one out. Alison Meagher would battle at the plate and wind up reaching via a base on balls. Riches would squeeze a single through the left side and advance to second on the throw home that would be in time to get DiBenedetto out at the plate. With two outs on the board, the Dolphins refused to give up. Galbo scored Cretella, who came in to pinch run for A. Meagher, with a single through the left side. Down one, Jioia stepped to the plate and hit a blooper over the first baseman’s head that would roll towards the dugout for an RBI double.
Trapani continued pitching well into the final stanza striking out the initial batter and forced the next batter to ground out. With two outs on the board, it looked like the game would be heading for extra innings, however, Taylor had another idea. After Witte singled up the middle Taylor took the first pitch and crushed it over the left field wall for a walk-off two-run homer.
Game 2: Augsburg 11, Staten Island 1
Things didn’t go A. Meagher’s way to start the second game as a routine play at third turned into an error, allowing the lead-off batter to reach first base. The Auggies continued to play small ball, moving around the bases with ease. When the dust settled, the Auggies had a 7-0 lead at the end of the first inning, a lead the Dolphins were unable to overcome after losing a heartbreaker in their first game of the day.
Vanessa Porto would come in to replace A. Meagher and would remain in the game until the top of the third when she allowed a three-run homer. A. Meagher, would re-enter the game and keep the Auggies to one run the rest of the game. The lone Dolphins run came when Holmes reached on an error and advanced to second on a passed ball. Holmes scored when A. Meagher also reached via an error.
The loss was the Dolphins’ third straight and will look to rebound tomorrow against RIT and Cornell College in their final day of competition down in Tucson, AZ.
