Flushing, N.Y. - The LIU Post softball team earned a spot in the 2015 East Coast Conference championship final, as a loss to Queens College, 5-1, and a eleven-inning victory over Molloy,10-7, clinched the Pioneers an opportunity to secure their second consecutive championship.
The Knights (34-14) were on the scoreboard immediatley, as a two-run homer to right in the top of the first secured a Queens advantage. The green and gold (29-14-1) answered in the second with a tally of their own, as a Knight miscue off a Samantha Miller (East Meadow, N.Y.) grounder scored Maria Palmeri (Middle Village, N.Y.) to put the Pioneers within one. In the top of the fourth, Queens tacked on three more scores off a solo blast and two RBI singles to clinch the 5-1 victory.
Sophomore Ashley Martin (Long Beach, N.Y.) and junior Isabella Corrao (Farmingdale, N.Y.) combined for a seven-inning showing on the mound. They collected eight whiffs and walked just three.
Game Five of the tournament saw a re-match of the commencing contest, as Molloy edged NYIT, 3-2, in the round prior, and moved on to face the Pioneers. The Lions tacked on four tallies in the latter half of the first frame off a bases-loaded walk and single to center that scored three. LIU Post added a run to their efforts in the top of the second as a Kayla McCoy (Smithtown, N.Y.) sacrifice fly helped Melissa Peet (Monroe, Conn.) cross the plate, but Molloy answered back in the same inning with a two-RBI single and a groundout to increase their lead, 7-1.The green and gold offensive effort tallied six in the top of the sixth off a two-run Jaclyn Hahn (Bayport, N.Y.) single, a three-run Aly Dzierzynski (Deer Park, N.Y.) double and a Paige Swantek (Smithtown, N.Y.) RBI single to even the contest at seven apiece. The stalemate held until the eleventh inning, and the game was suspended due to darkness; first pitch was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Palmeri took the first pitch of the eleventh inning deep, securing a double, as her blast hit the top of the center field fence but bounced back into play. Palmeri eventually crossed the plate to break the stalemate, and give the Pioneers the lead, off a Lion infield error on a Miller ground ball, while the next two scores also came as a result of Molloy miscues and the green and gold secured the 10-7 victory and their third consecutive appearance in the ECC Softball Championship Final.
Senior Megan Salcido (Brawley, Calif), Corrao and and Martin all added pitching performances to the semi-final contest. The trio fanned six for the green and gold.
LIU Post will face the winners' bracket and regular season victor Queens College for the conference championship at noon.
Provided by the LIU Post Sports Information Department.
