SOFTBALL ENDS SEASON WITH DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT VERSUS SAINT MICHAEL'S
COLCHESTER, VT - In their regular season finale, the Pace University softball team split a Northeast-10 Conference softball doubleheader with the Purple Knights of Saint Michael's College at Doc Jacobs Field. The Setters took the opener 5-3 behind Kiryl Shada's (Pleasant Prairie, WI/Tremper) bat and arm, while the Purple Knights bounced back to take the nightcap 9-0 in five innings. Pace finishes the season with an overall record of 18-20 (9-19 in the NE-10), while Saint Michael's ends with a 26-14 overall mark (16-12 in the NE-10).
After three scoreless innings, Thrish Alluto's (Matawan, NJ/Matawan Regional) three-run home run in the top of the fourth gave Pace the first runs of the game. The Purple Knights would tie the game in the bottom of the fifth with a three-run homerun of their own off the bat of Casey Brooks.
The game would remain tied at three until the top of the seventh as the Setters took the lead for good. Shada helped herself out by leading off the inning with her second homerun of the season for the go ahead run. Pace scored their second run of the inning on an RBI single by Kerri McLean (Woodhaven, NY/Archbishop Molloy) that brought home D.J. Ketchel (Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic). Ketchel reached base on an error by the second baseman and stole second to be in position to score.
Shada picked up her 13th win of the season tossing her 22nd complete game on the year going seven solid innings, allowing three runs on six hits, while walking two and striking out six. Her counterpart Meggan Roberge (18-9) also went the distance allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits to go along with a pair of walks and 12 strikeouts.
The Purple Knights earned the split as they scored eight runs in the bottom of the second to cruise to victory. Megan O'Connor's grand slam and Meg Currier's three-run blast highlighted the eight-run inning.
Roberge pitched the nightcap as well to pick up her 19th win of the season, tossing five shutout innings, scattering just two hits and walking one, while striking out eight.
Kim Troiano (Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst) (3-7)
took the loss allowing nine runs on eight hits and walking two.
