Lakewood, N.J. - A walk-off, two-run long ball from
Marissa Trezza put the exclamation point on a dramatic come-from-behind game one victory as Georgian Court University finished Saturday with a softball sweep of Nyack College in the first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) competition of the year.
GAME ONE
The initial contest of the afternoon experienced an inauspicious start for the Lions as a
Morgan Hans (Washington Twp., N.J.) two-run homer in the second, followed by a run-inducing fielder's choice from the senior in the third, provided the visiting Warriors a 3-0 lead.
Georgian Court responded in a big way in the home half of the fifth when the dangerous bat of
Eryka Springer connected on a three-run blast to center (3rd of season), knotting the score at three-all. The Lions added a fourth unanswered tally later in the frame as a dropped ball by the Nyack defense in left-field brought around the go-ahead tally in unearned fashion.
The GCU surplus was short-lived as Nyack's
Erin O'Brien (So.-Cumberland, N.J.) uncorked a game-tying solo shot to right in the top of the sixth. The ledger would remain tied until the last of the seventh. Springer reached and advanced to second on a misplayed pop-up to the Nyack catcher. With pinch-runner
Emily Lynch now in scoring position, Trezza clubbed a 2-2 pitch over the center-fence (3rd of season) to complete the comeback and win the game, 6-4.
Jessica O'Neil, Georgian Court's third pitcher of the game, improved to 5-1 on the year in four innings of stellar relief work (2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K).
Alyssa Giampolo (Jr.-East Windsor, N.J.) went the distance for Nyack, falling to 2-4 in the process (6.0 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K).
Samantha Salomon authored a 3-for-4 effort at the dish for the victors.
GAME TWO
A first-inning, two-run fielding error by the Nyack left-fielder, followed by
Samantha Reilly's sixth homer of the year (a three-run shot) in the second, provided Georgian Court with a quick 5-0 cushion to start the nightcap. An O'Brien RBI double and a run-scoring single from
Janelle Adams (Fr.-Oxnard, Calif.) inched the Warriors to within three (5-2) after two-and-a-half innings.
The Lions, in no mood for another close call, unleashed five runs on five hits, including RBI knocks from Reilly (two-run double), Springer (single),
Malaya Black (triple) and pinch-hitter
Elisa Lopez (single), providing the Lions a 10-2 advantage after four full.
Chase Swank, coming in relief of GCU starter,
Mikayla Gilgert, closed out the game with a scoreless fifth inning (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1K). Gilgert, with four frames of work, improved to a team-best 7-2 on the year for the Lions (4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 K). Nyack starter,
Stephanie White (Sr.-Hamilton, N.J.), remains winless at 0-6 (4.0 IP, 9 H, 10 R, 8 ER, 4 BB, 2 K).
Nyack finishes the day 2-13 on the year (0-2 CACC).
Georgian Court (17-4, 2-0 CACC) now preps for Tuesday's highly-anticipated D.H. at conference foe, Wilmington University. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.
