Box Score - JMU
Box Score - NMSU
Clearwater, Fla. – The Long Island University softball team suffered two narrow defeats at the hands of James Madison, 3-2, and New Mexico St., 5-4, in the USF-Under Armour Showcase on Saturday in Clearwater, Fla. The Blackbirds had chances to win both games but were marred by a combined 18 runners left on base.
LIU and JMU were tied 2-2 entering the bottom of the sixth before the Dukes took the lead for good. With runners on first and second, JMU advanced Melissa Hill across the plate on a Long Island error to snag a 3-2 advantage. Long Island came out firing in the top of the seventh when sophomore
Sterling Hoham led off with a single followed by a double from senior
Mariesha Marker. However, James Madison would thwart the potential threat as Long Island stranded the bases loaded.
James Madison shot out to a 2-0 lead in the first when it ran off three consecutive two-out hits. After singles from Shannon Moxey and Haley Johnson, Kaitlyn Barbour doubled to send in both runners and put the Dukes ahead early. LIU countered in the top of the second to cut the JMU lead to 2-1. With the bases loaded, junior
Amanda MacIntosh sent home senior
Brynn Lewis on an RBI-ground out. Long Island wouldn’t be able to tie the contest as it stranded the bases loaded with one out.
The Blackbirds evened the score in the top of the fifth. Marker was the catalyst when she reached first on a well-placed bunt single. A two-base error by the Dukes placed LIU runners on second and third.. Junior
Bianca Mejia then singled through the left side of the infield to plate Marker and knot the game at 2-2. LIU left runners on first and third to end the frame as part of the nine left on base for the game.
Both the third and fourth innings yielded no runs as senior
Blaire Porter was able to work her way out of jams in each inning. Marker threw out her ninth attempted base stealer of the season in the fourth to help Porter out of a jam. At the plate, Marker was 2-for-4 in the contest while Porter went six innings and sent down five batters on strikes.
Against the Aggies, Long Island quickly lit up the scoreboard in the first when Mejia scored on an illegal pitch. Back-to-back two-out hits from Mejia and Lewis gave the Blackbirds runners on the corners before the NMSU infraction. New Mexico State made the score 1-1 in the bottom of the frame when Hoku Nohara doubled to left-center, scoring Tiare Jennings.
The Blackbirds reclaimed the lead in the second inning after drawing three walks from the Aggies. Freshman
Karina Cervantes, MacIntosh and Marker all walked to load the bases. Senior
Chelsea Martinson would then loop a base hit to right field and score Cervantes. LIU took a 3-1 lead after Mejia plated MacIntosh on a sacrifice fly.
New Mexico State opened a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the second again powered by Jennings and Nohara. Starting with an RBI-single from Jennings, the Aggies scored four runs in the frame including a three-run triple by Nohara. The Blackbirds made it a 5-4 game in the top of the third after Hoham was struck by a pitch with the bases loaded. LIU couldn’t convert the opportunity and stranded the trio of runners.
After surrendering the early runs, freshman
Megan Sheaf settled down in the circle to keep Long Island within striking distance. In the final four innings, the freshman only allowed three hits.
The Blackbirds finish off play at the USF-Under Armour Showcase on Sunday when they square off with Drake. First pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m.