Box Score
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - On Sunday afternoon in the consolation game of Seton Hall University's Strike Out Cancer Tournament, Monmouth's Kayla Weiser lifted a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning to drive in the winning run and give the Hawks (7-6) a 3-2 victory over the Manhattan College softball team (1-14) at Ivy Hill Park.
With the game knotted at 2-2 entering the seventh, the Jaspers loaded the bases with one out. Jocelin Whitmore (La Habra, Calif.) started the rally with a leadoff double down the left field line, then Kate Bowen (Newtown, Conn.) was hit by a pitch. After Amanda Berrios (Carteret, N.J.) bunted the runners over to second and third, Amanda Babcock (Haverstraw, N.Y.) drew a walk. However, Manhattan failed to score, as Amanda Paxson (Cedar Grove, N.J.) struck out and Carla Velasquez (Miami, Fla.) grounded into a fielder's choice.
In the bottom of the seventh, the first two Monmouth hitters reached base. Alicia DeSanto beat out an infield single to start the inning, then moved to second on a wild pitch. Christine Scherr followed with another infield single, and both runners moved up on a groundout by Tish Derer. That put runners on second and third with one out for Weiser, who lofted a fly ball to right that was deep enough to bring DeSanto home with the winning run.
Monmouth had taken a 1-0 lead on Vanessa Cardoza's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first, but Manhattan immediately responded with a run in the top of the second. Paxson led off the inning with a single to right center. After Mickayla Romero (Las Vegas, Nev.) walked, Sydney Weedon (Santa Ana, Calif.) hit a grounder that the Monmouth shortstop was unable to handle. Paxson came across on the error, tying the game at 1-1.
Another Monmouth error set up Manhattan's second run in the top of the fifth. Bowen reached on the miscue to start the inning, and she advanced to second on a Berrios bunt. Babcock and Paxson then drew back-to-back walks, loading the bases and forcing Hawks starter Alissa Schoelkopf out of the game. Lauren Sulik relieved her, and she got Velasquez to ground to short. Bowen scored the go-ahead run on the play, but Babcock was thrown out trying to steal another run, ending the inning. The Hawks then tied the game when Kate Kuzma homered leading off the bottom of the fifth.
The Jaspers were held to four hits in the game, with Berrios and Whitmore both smacking doubles. Paxson went 1-for-3 with a run scored, while Bowen also scored a run. Kelsi Redding (Tucson, Ariz.) started in the circle, but only faced one batter before she had to be removed with an injury. Bowen (1-2) worked the final 6.2 innings and took the loss. She surrendered two runs on eight hits, struck out two and walked four.
The Hawks had nine hits in the contest, led by Scherr's 3-for-4 effort. She also scored the game-winning run. DeSanto was 2-for-2 with a run scored. Schoelkopf gave up two unearned runs on three hits while striking out one and walking four in 4.1 innings in the circle. Sulick (2-2) earned the win after tossing 2.2 innings of shutout ball. She yielded just one hit, struck out four and walked one.
The Strike Out Cancer Tournament concluded Manhattan's early-season tournament schedule. Up next, the Jaspers visit St. John's (7-15) for a non-conference doubleheader at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
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