Old Westbury, N.Y. - The top-seeded NYIT softball team accounted for five home runs in a matter of two innings en route to a 10-5 victory over the fourth-seeded Purple Knights of Bridgeport Thursday afternoon in the first round of the East Coast Conference tournament. The winners advance to play No. 3 Molloy College, who squeaked out a 5-4 victory over No. 2 LIU Post earlier in the day. NYIT improves to 36-11 this season at Bridgeport falls to 19-29.
Amber Butenhoff was responsible for two of the five home runs that came in the fifth and sixth innings, as she finished a 3-for-4 day at the plate with two RBIs. Also registering multi-hits was Madison Smith and Josephine Santagata who knocked in a grand slam to collect four RBIs. Earning the win was starter Laura McLaughlin, who improves to 20-3 this season.
The game was held scoreless through the first four and a half innings of play both teams work tirelessly on defense and in the circle to keep the other from scoring. NYIT threatened in noth the second and the third but it was not until the bottom half of the fifth that the hosts got on the board.
Ruth Rodriguez saw one pitch before she got ahold of the next to send it over the left field fence for her first of her career. Two batters later Butenhoff followed the rookie's lead to send one of her own over to take a 2-0 lead. The next run came from a misplayed ball at the plate to allow Zabielski to score before McCracken walked to load the bases. Santagata's swing had the ball leaving the park in a hurry for a grand slam and the third home run for the hosts in that inning to take a 7-0 lead.
Bridgeport took advantage of several miscues by NYIT in the following frame that saw them cut the lead to just three. Megan O'Leary drove in a run with the bases loaded and one out, but Kamryn Beach turned a single to left field into two RBIs and found herself scoring after an innaccurate throw got by the centerfielder. After a follow up walk, the Purple Knights forced a pitching change for the Bears. Sofia Evangelista dominated with three straight strikes to retire the final batter and end the inning.
Butenhoff's second home run came in the sixth inning with one out, as it cleared the scoreboard to extend the NYIT lead to four. Zabielski was able to draw a walk out of a five-pitch at-bat to be later brought around by Christina Pantages, who homered to left field to add two more to the home team column. Bridgeport managed to knock one more run around in the top of the seventh but Evangelista got the final Purple Knight to ground into a double play to seal the deal for the top-seed.
NYIT will act as the visitors in tomorrow's 10:00 a.m. contest against the Molloy Lions. Playing in game two of the day will be Bridgeport and LIU Post to determine who will be knocked out of the ECC Softball Championships first.
Provided by the NYIT Sports Information Department.
