Ithaca, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Softball team saw the 2016 season come to a close Saturday afternoon with a hard fought 13-8 loss in the 2016 NCAA Softball Championship to #17 Moravian. Junior Michelle Surdan (Acton, Mass.) finished the game with three hits and three RBI.
 
The Knights broke out on top in the home half of the first inning when Surdan singled to center field to drive in Cindy Connoly (Walden, N.Y.) with the game's first run. The Mount went on to spread its lead to three runs in the third frame when Surdan doubled home Chelsea Dexter (Beacon, N.Y.) and later crossed on a Taylor Canto (Walden, N.Y.) single.
 
Moravian answered back to tie the score with a three-run home run in the fourth. The Greyhounds got singles from Julie Siragusa and Janae Matos before Victoria Connor evened the score at 3-3 with a blast that cleared the left field fence.
 
Mount Saint Mary answered in the bottom of the inning with four runs on four hits to open a 7-3 advantage. Surdan broke the tie with an RBI groundout that delivered Amanda Almodovar (Chester, N.Y.) ahead of a second Canto run scoring single. Breanna DePasquale (Brooklyn, N.Y.) followed with an RBI single that pushed home Santo with Surdan scoring on a misplay in right field.
 
Leading by four runs, the Knights saw Moravian rally again with four tallies in the top of the fifth. Madison Shaneberger drove in a run with a double to start the scoring in the frame and Jean Markovic closed out the scoring in the inning with a two-run double to knot the score for the second time in the game.
 
Mount Saint Mary was held off the board in the fifth and saw the Greyhounds break the tie and take the lead for good in the game with four more runs in the sixth. The first three Moravian batters reached to load the bases with no one out and Siragusa wrapped a grand slam to right to move Moravian in front 11-7.
 
The Knights got a run back in the home half of the sixth on a Courtney Barbra (Fishkill, N.Y.) run scoring groundout, but the Greyhounds answered with two more runs in the top of the seventh to close out the scoring in the contest.
 
Mount Saint Mary outhit Moravian 14-12 in the game and had four players with multiple hits. Surdan and DePasquale each finished with three safeties, with Surdan scoring three times and driving in three more. DePasquale finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. Dexter scored twice for the Knights, while Canto drove in two runs and finished 2-for-2 with two walks.
 
Kaela Kane scored three runs for Moravian, going 2-for-3 for the Greyhounds. Shaneberger, Siragusa, and Conner each finished with two hits and two runs scored.
 
Connoly took the loss for Mount Saint Mary in the game, allowing a season-high nine earned runs on 11 hits in six innings. She struck out five and walked two. Amanda Carisone moved to 18-2 for Moravian, allowing seven earned runs on 14 hits.
 
Saturday's loss closes the Knights' season at 23-12.

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