PURCHASE, N.Y. - The Knights (16-11-1, 9-5) improved their playoff chances today with two crucial wins over Purchase College (7-13, 2-12). After a wild win that took eight innings in game one, the Knights needed only five in game two to complete the sweep.
Behind 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning of game one, Purchase got off to a quick start with back to back singles. Veronica Slattery (Newburgh, N.Y.) drove the two runners in, giving Purchase a 2-1 lead. Purchase went on to score three more runs, putting them ahead of the Mount 5-1.
The Mount answered back in the top of third, when Jackie Governale (Bethpage, N.Y.) reached on an error with two outs. Freshman Ashley Peel (Shelton, Conn.) stepped up to the plate and blasted a pitch over the left-centerfield fence to tack on two more runs for the Mount.
The score remained 5-3 until the top of the sixth when Lacey Kehlenbeck (Port Jervis, N.Y.) doubled and moved over to third on a sacrifice from Brittany O'Brien (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Kehlenbeck later scored on a fielder's choice. Governale singled, and moved to second on an error by the leftfielder. She later scored after Peel's single was misplayed by the centerfielder, tying the game up at 5.
Mariel Perez (Bayside, N.Y.) led off the bottom half of the inning with a single and Slattery followed with a walk. Alyse LaPadula's (New Rochelle, N.Y.) bunt single loaded the bases for Rachael Popovic (Baldwin, N.Y.), but Amanda Barrese (Staten Island, N.Y.) fanned her giving the Knights one out for the inning. Abigail Katz (Livingston, N.J.) stepped up and a hit a dribbler to Governale at first. Governale threw home and Peel fired down to Danielle Orender (Wall, N.J.) who was covering third on the play. Slattery, who beat the throw, slid over third and was tagged out by Orender whose quick thinking completed the double play and fired up the Knights for the final inning.
Chelsea Hepburn (New York, N.Y.) started the top of the seventh with a double, Barrese followed with a single, and Victoria DeMarco (Hicksville, N.Y.) walked to load the bases. Kehlenbeck hit into a fielder's choice giving the Knights a 6-5 lead, their first since the second inning. After O'Brien fouled out, senior Sarah Johnson (Montgomery, N.Y.) clobbered a ball over the fence to push the Knights' lead to 9-5. Governale followed with a double and scored on a single by Peel.
Down 10-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Purchase loaded the bases again. Perez hit a sacrifice fly and Slattery drove in another run to put the score at 10-7. LaPadula got up and hit a long, fly ball to centerfield that clipped the top of the fence and fell over for a homerun, tying the game at 10.
The Knights got out of the jam, and scored in the top of the eighth when Hepburn's double plated Danielle Sedia (Bronx, N.Y.) who was on second as a result of the international tie-breaker. They went on to score two more runs in the inning, and held on to win 13-10.
In game two, the Knights shut out Purchase 10-0. Johnson hit her second homer of the day which was also the 100th hit for her career. Governale was 4-for-4 and Caitlin Maynes (Miller Place, N.Y.) got her 11th win of the season.
Finished with their regular season conference schedule, the Knights will travel to Lehman College on Monday afternoon for a double-header.
