WINTER HAVEN, Fla. –The USciences softball team was denied its first win by a three-run bottom of the eighth by California (Pa.) in the Devils' first game in Florida on Wednesday afternoon.
The Devils were ahead 6-5 entering the bottom of the seventh and 8-6 entering the bottom of the eighth before the Vulcans walked away with the 9-8 triumph.
University of the Sciences' second game, a 5-1 loss to Stonehill, would be called after four and a half innings due to rain.
California (Pa.)
University of the Sciences led 6-5 entering the bottom of the seventh thanks to Gabrielle Simms' solo home run to lead off the sixth.
The seventh began with an error, but the Devils were able to get the first two outs only to have a two-out single knot the score up with an unearned run.
With the international tiebreaker in affect, Kaitlin Thompson led off the eighth with a sacrifice bunt and Sabrina Kaffl followed with a walk to give put runners on the corners with one away.
Again it was Simms putting USciences ahead, this time with a single, and this time it was the Devils taking advantage of an error as the inning was extended for Diane Torregrossa's two-out single.
California (8-5) had the answer once more though, as four hits against just one out plated the three runs needed to walk off.
Simms had her third straight multi-hit performance as she finished 3-for-5 with the two RBI. The senior scored the 66th run of her career on her homer, which now puts her in a tie for ninth in program history.
Kaffl also reached base tree times via two walks and her first career hit.
Danielle Jones and Nina Cencetti both added two hits, a run and an RBI.
The contest actually began with three scoreless frames, as starter Olivia Quercia allowed just one hit to the first 12 batters she faced before a two-out home run in the fourth cancelled out Gabriella Polera's homer from the top-half.
Both teams then broke out for four runs in the fifth, with Jones, Cencetti and Thompson all driving in unearned runs on singles, only to have a two-out grand slam in the bottom-half make it 5-5.
After recording the final out of the fifth Paige Schlecther pitched a scoreless sixth, and she was in line to get the win if not for the unearned run in the seventh.
Stonehill
Stonehill led off the game with a home run and led throughout.
That was the first of two first inning runs for the Skyhawks, who added two more in the third.
University of the Sciences pulled one run back with back-to-back hits by Lauren Del Giudice (single) and Simms (double), but the Devils would strand two runners and Stonehill closed out the scoring with another homer in the fifth.
Simms' double was notably the 23rd of her career, now tied for fourth in program history.
Up Next
University of the Sciences closes out its spring break trip with its final two games tomorrow, against Pitt-Johnstown and West Virginia Wesleyan.
