PHILADELPHIA – After failing to score a run in a 1-0 game one loss, the USciences softball bats wasted little time getting going the nightcap as the Devils plated four in the first inning of a 6-2 win over College of Staten Island on Thursday afternoon at Urban Youth Academy Field.
The victory was University of the Sciences' 12th, tied for its most since winning a Division II-era program record 24 in 2013.
Game Two
University of the Sciences was ahead 2-0 after four batters following back-to-back walks by Abbigail Markee and Ashley Steiner and back-to-back RBI singles by Gabrielle Simms and Taylor Hamm.
Kaitlin Thompson sacrificed the latter two up to second and third, and Sabrina Kaffl came through a two-RBI single with two outs for what turned out to be the game-winning hit.
Pitching took over from there, with starter Gianna Abruzese allowing just one hit in her two innings to improve to 2-2 on the season.
Staten Island threatened with four consecutive singles to begin the fourth, leading to the Dolphins halving the deficit, but Kyla Valver stranded runners on second and third before working a scoreless fifth.
Gabriella Polera re-established a four-run advantage with a two-RBI double that scored Simms and Hamm, whose back-to-back singles with two outs kept the frame alive, and Paige Schlechter would come on for a perfect sixth and seven inning.
Simms finished a perfect 3-for-3 to move into a tie for fifth in program history with 146 career hits. Her 45 hits this year are tied for eighth in the program's single-season history.
Simms' two runs also gave her 28 on the year, now tied with Markee for fifth in the program's single-season annals, while their 16 and 14 walks, respectively, are tied for fourth and eighth.
Polera's double notably moved her into a tie for third in the program's single-season annals with 10.
Hamm and Kaffl had two hits each, which was notably the first career multi-hit performance for the latter.
Fellow freshman Amelia Sternchos notably had a hit in her first collegiate at-bat.
Game One
A fourth inning run on three straight two-out singles was all College of Staten Island would need, as USciences managed just three hits.
Olivia Quercia, Veronica Dark and Megan Master combined to pitch seven innings of six-hit ball, with five strikeouts and no walks. Quercia and Master surrendered just one hit each in their two frames, striking out two and three, respectively.
The Devils had the first two runners to reach scoring position, including when Miranda Rodriguez led off the third with a single and stole second with one out.
She was stranded at third though, as was Markee after she had led off the sixth with a single. Markee was sacrificed to second by Ashley Steiner before advancing to third on a fielder's choice that followed a Simms walk.
Danielle Jones had University of the Sciences' other hit on a two-out single in the fourth.
Up Next
The Devils travel to Post tomorrow for a 2 p.m. doubleheader that was moved up one day from Saturday.
