Garden City, N.Y. - Following a tournament-opening loss, the No. 23 and second-seeded LIU Post softball team bounced back Thursday with an 8-0 win versus sixth-seeded Pace University in an elimination game of the 2016 NCAA Division II Championship East 2 Regional at Adelphi University's Janet L. Ficke Field.
The Pioneers (37-14-1) wasted no time offensively, plating the game's opening run in the bottom of the first inning. Freshman first baseman Ashley Melendez (Levittown, N.Y.) hit a two-out RBI single to bring around freshman catcher Julia Seader (Piscataway, N.J.) from second.
In the third, LIU Post, which worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top-half of the frame, tacked on a pair of runs in the latter half to widen the gap to 3-0. After back-to-back singles to open the inning and a Melendez walk to load the bases, senior third baseman Maria Palmeri (Middle Village, N.Y.) doubled the green and gold's lead with an RBI fielder's choice.
Freshman shortstop Leah Mele (Coram, N.Y.) then ripped a two-strike offering back up the middle in the ensuing at-bat to score senior designated player Paige Swantek (Smithtown, N.Y.).
The Pioneers weren't done there. They added two more runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to put it away.
Melendez was the catalyst yet again in the fourth, driving an RBI single to left-center field. Earlier in the inning, junior outfielder Mackenzie Buckley (St. James, N.Y.) scored on a wild pitch.
In the fifth, LIU Post took full advantage of a pair of Pace (28-16) errors to increase its cushion to 8-0. Mele and sophomore outfielder Samantha Marrone (Holbrook, N.Y.) both came home on errors, while Swantek laced an RBI single into left-center to cap the afternoon's scoring.
Junior pitcher Ashley Martin (Long Beach, N.Y.) earned the victory in the decision. She tossed five innings of one-hit ball with three walks and six strikeouts.
Head Coach Jamie Apicella and the Pioneers will now face seventh-seeded Molloy College on Friday (May 6) in another elimination contest at Adelphi's Janet L. Ficke Field in Garden City.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
