Farmingdale, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Softball team began play in the 2021 Skyline Conference Championship on Friday afternoon with a tight 3-1 loss to top-seeded Farmingdale State.
Samantha Bendig (Bellmore, N.Y.) and
Alicia Killeen (Nesconset, N.Y.) each recorded two hits for the Knights in the loss.
Farmingdale State got on the board early on Friday, getting a leadoff home run from Lyndsay Shaw. After allowing the round tripper to the first batter she faced, Mount Saint Mary starter
Bridget Morris (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) settled in and did not allow another run until the home half of the fifth.
Leading 1-0, Farmingdale State put at least one runner in scoring position in the second, third and fourth frames, before breaking through with two more runs in the fifth. Allie Stanya led off the fifth with a hit and moved to second on a groundout. The next two batters were hit and walked before Jessica Lombardo drove in the game's second run with a single to left. With the bases loaded and still just one out, Brooke Walker pushed the Rams' lead to 3-0 with a sacrifice fly.
Bendig singled in the first for the Knights before the Mount went hitless until a Killeen single to lead off the top of the sixth. The Knights' got a runner to third in the sixth, but would not get on the board until the top of the seventh.
Sofia Gannon (East Patchogue, N.Y.) led off the seventh with a double for the Mount and later scored the team's lone run of the game on a run scoring fielder's choice. Killeen picked up her second hit of the game in the seventh to put the tying run on base with two outs, but Stanya got a fly out to end the threat.
Killeen finished the game 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot for the Mount with Bendig going 2-for-3. Gannon doubled and scored with
Olivia Ferara (Middletown, N.Y.) picking up the Mount's other hit.
Stanya led the Farmingdale State lineup with two hits, adding a run scored with Shaw and Priscilla Rivera each recording a hit and a run scored. Shaw, Lombardo and Walker drove in the Farmingdale State runs in the game.
Morris suffered the loss in the circle for the Knights and fell to 10-7 on the season. She allowed three earned run on six hit in 6.0 innings while striking out two. Stanya moved to 11-1 for the Rams, striking out three Knights and allowing one run on six hits.
Mount Saint Mary will be back in action Friday afternoon at approximately 4:00 p.m. as it looks to keep its season alive against either St. Joseph's-L.I. or Manhattanville in the first elimination game of the Championship.
