Softball

SETTERS SWEEP BOWIE STATE AS KETCHEL DRIVES IN FIVE

BOWIE, MD – D.J. Ketchel (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic) was 4-for-7 with a homerun, two doubles and five RBI as Pace improved to 3-4 following a doubleheader sweep of Bowie State. Pace took the first game, 5-1, before completing the sweep with a 5-2 win in the second game. Bowie State drops to 3-5 overall.

In the first game, Sheila Mercado (Greeley, CO/Greeley West) led off the 2^nd inning with a walk and moved to second on a single by Julia Hunt (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac).  After Jessica Bryant (Brownstown, NY/Minisink Valley) singled, Carolyn Krause (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Mercado.  Freshman Christina Pane (Stony Point, NY/Cardinal Spellman) followed with a triple to right field, scoring Krause and Bryant.  Ketchel then followed with her first homerun of the year, scoring Pane.

Hunt was masterful on the mound, holding Bowie scoreless through 4 2/3 innings.  After getting the first two batters out in the 5^th inning, Randi Willey doubled to left field and then advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Tiffany Toney followed with a single to right field, scoring Willey with the Bulldogs only run of the game. Hunt scattered seven hits while striking out seven over seven innings. 

In the second game, Mercado, Bryant and Kelly Kinyon (Levittown, PA/Harry S. Truman) led off the 3^rd inning with consecutive singles. Krause would reach on an error that resulted in Kinyon and Mercado both crossing the plate.  After Pane popped up to third, Ketchel followed with a double down the leftfield line scoring Krause and Bryant. 

In the bottom half of the inning, Willey would score on a sacrifice fly by Heather Enders to put the Bulldogs on the board, 4-1.  Bowie would cut the Pace lead in half in the 5^th inning after Willey reached base on an error by Ketchel.  Cassie Williams’ single to left field would score Willey to cut the Setters’ lead to 4-2.

Pace would tack on another run in the top of the 7^th when Pane singled to second base and stole second.  She would then advance to third on a wild pitch pitch before Ketchel drove her in on a ground out to the pitcher.

On the mound, Freshman starter Kim Troiano (Lindenhurst, NY/ Lindenhurst) allowed two runs, one earned, on seven hits over five innings.  Kiryl Shade (Pleasant Prairie, WI/ Tremper) pitched the final two innings, striking out three while giving up two hits to pick up the save.