Warriors sweep season finale

By Cory Nidoh
Asst. Sports Editor

 
The ESU Warriors Softball team honored their four seniors Kaitlin Blum, Amanda McKay, Rebecca Smith and Laura Suits on  Saturday in part of a doubleheader sweep against Millersville as the Warriros came out victorious 1-0 and 3-0.

Suits (7-8, 4.64 ERA) played an integral part of the first game of the twin bill as she blanked the visiting Marauders in a 1-0 win for her fourth shutout of the season.

The New Platz, New York native worked around four different innings where a runner was in scoring position for Millersville and held the visitors to just four hits while striking out three to win her seventh game of the season.

With the win, the senior leads the team in wins and is second in strikeouts.

The Warriors played small ball to manufacture the lone run of the game as sophomore third baseman Haley Thomas led the fifth inning off with a single.

ESU inserted freshman pinch-runner Sam Parker and she advanced to second base on a sacrifice bunt by junior outfielder Kacey Meckes.

After a fielder’s choice moved Parker to third base, junior outfielder Cara Woods drove Parker home on a fielder’s choice.

The second game featured another dominant performance in the pitching circle for ESU as freshman Rachael Liguori  (3-8, 3.35 ERA) threw a complete game shutout as the Warriors scored a trio of runs to win 3-0.

Liguori, who tossed her second complete game of the week after being the victor against Mansfield last Thursday, allowed five hits while striking out six. The Gaithersburg, Maryland native paces the Warriors in strikeouts with 65 on the season.

ESU scored early where they sent six batters to the plate in the bottom of the second inning.

With one out, freshman shortstop Rae Holden singled and senior catcher Rebecca Smith followed suit with a single of her own to put runners on first and second.

Then, senior Amanda McKay singled up the middle to drive home Holden for an early one run lead.

East Stroudsburg would add two more runs in the bottom half of the sixth when junior second baseman Jamie Smith singled to set the table.

After a sacrifice bunt advanced smith to second base, junior first baseman Cara McNeil singled and advanced to second on an errant throw putting runners on second and third.

Sophomore outfielder Sierra Wagner then singled to right field pushing Smith across to make it 2-0.

Rebecca Smith would add the third and final run of the game as she drove in McNeil.

ESU is on the outside looking in at the PSAC Tournament as they are now sixth in the PSAC East with the pair of wins.  Four of the top eight teams will qualify for the postseason and ESU has games scheduled against West Chester and Shippensburg who are currently first and third respectively in the division.

The Warriors also play Mansfield who are in fifth place as ESU is trying to make the tournament for the first time since 2010.

Email Cory at:
cnidoh@live.esu.edu