LAKEWOOD, NJ-In its first home appearance of 2011, the Georgian Court University softball squad battled with CACC-rival Bloomfield College, splitting a pair by losing Game One, 7-6, and winning the finale, 6-5.
GAME ONE
The Lions (5-13, 1-1 CACC) got on the board first with a three-spot in the bottom of the first frame, courtesy of an RBI double by 1B Sammie Jo Garofalo and ribbie singles from 2B Rachel Ruch and SS Selina Santillo.
After going down in order to start the contest, the Lady Deacons (9-6, 3-1 CACC) responded mightily in the top of the second, plating four runs on six hits. LF Lindsey Ciresa (So.-White House, NJ) led the barrage with a three-run double to center. 3B Kira Wagar (Sr.-Rochester, NY) brought in the fourth run of the inning with a RBI two-bagger of her own.
Not to be denied, GCU's Jess Comiskey and Ruch responded with solo homers off Bloomfield starting pitcher Kaila Dugger (Fr.-Mesa, AZ) to reclaim a 5-4 advantage. It was the second long ball of the year for both.
The Georgian Court lead would hold until the top of the fifth when SS Angie Yoshizu (Fr.-Kaneohe, HI) drilled a two-out, RBI single to left to tie the score at five-all. The Lady Deacons took the lead for good in the top of the seventh inning on a Krystina Poloni (1B) (So.-Pearl River, NY) single and another RBI knock from Yoshizu.
Ciresa, who came in from the outfield to relieve Duggar to start the third inning, allowed one run on four hits and walk, while striking out five, in five innings to earn the victory. Brooke Hull went the distance for the Lions, but suffered the defeat. She falls to 4-8.
Yoshizu led Bloomfield at the dish with a 4-for-4 effort (R, 2 RBI). Ruch went 3-for-3 for the Lions with 2 runs and 2 RBI.
GAME TWO
A first-inning sacrifice fly from DP Ashleigh Williams (So.-Manassas, VA) gave Bloomfield a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning in the nightcap. However, the Lions immediately swiped the lead back in the home half of the frame with three runs off a RBI groundout for Hull and run-scoring hits from Cuevas and Santillo.
The Lions extended the lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the fourth on a Ruch single to center. However, the Lady Deacons changed all of that in the top of the sixth inning on a solo homer from Wagar and a go-ahead three-run dinger from Williams.
GCU, for the second time in the ballgame, answered right back in the bottom of the inning by tying the game on a RBI double to left by Hull and a game-winning double to right-center from Cuevas.
Shannon Dukes received a no-decision for the Lions, allowing three runs in 5+ innings. Diana Sansevera (1-0), in her first appearance of the season after recuperating from a thumb injury, relieved Dukes with no outs in the sixth. GCU's ace the past two seasons yielded Williams's home run, but benefited from Georgian Court's comeback in the home half.
Game One winner Ciresa took the defeat in Game Two, yielding two runs on three hits in two innings of relief of Dugger.
Cuevas led the Lions with a 4-for-4 effort while Ruch provided a 3-for-4 effort. Yoshizu went 3-for-3 to finish the day 7-for-7 for the Lady Deacons.
Georgian Court goes right back to it on Wednesday when they travel to Goldey-Beacom College for a 3PM CACC twin-bill.
