Clermont, Fla. – The Mount Saint Mary College Softball team opened the 2023 season on Sunday with a pair of non-conference wins in Clermont, Fla., topping Cornell College 9-3 and Carthage 8-7 in eight innings.
Samantha Bendig (Tampa, Fla.) and
Laura Dentato (Farmingdale, N.Y.) each combined for four hits on the day, with Dentato scoring four times.
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Mount Saint Mary 9 – Cornell 3
How It Happened
- Mount Saint Mary got on the board with a run in the first inning to grab an early lead and the moved in front 5-0 with four tallies in the top of the third frame.
- Jenna Cedeno (Staten Island, N.Y.) drove in the initial run with a sacrifice fly with Bendig doubling home a run in the third and Dentato delivering two runs with a single.
- The Knights spread their lead to 8-0 in the fourth, taking advantage of a run scoring double from Dentato and a two-run single off the bat of Riley Norwood (East Haven, Conn.).
- Cornell got a run back in the home half of the fourth and plated two runs in bottom of the sixth to cut its disadvantage to 8-3.
- Mount Saint Mary closed out the scoring with a single run in the seventh inning, a Kaeli McAnally (Bay Shore, N.Y.) sacrifice fly, that delivered Norwood with the game's final run.
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For Knights
- Olivia Ferara (Middletown, N.Y.) closed the game 2-for-4 with three runs scored.
- Dentato went 2-for-4 with a double, run scored and three RBI.
- Norwood recorded two hits, a run and two RBI.
- Sofia Gannon (East Patchogue, N.Y.) scored twice for the Knights.
- Bridget Morris (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) picked up the win in the circle, allowing three runs on just two hits while fanning five in 5.1 innings.
- Dana Donnelly (Yulan, N.Y.) made her debut for the Knights with 1.2 shutout innings, allowing two hits and picking up a strikeout.
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Mount Saint Mary 8 – Carthage 7 (F/8)
How It Happened
- Mount Saint Mary got on the board early again in its second game of the day, plating two runs in the bottom of the second.
- Norwood chased home Cedeno with a sacrifice fly to open the scoring ahead of a run scoring groundout from Melanie McClinchey (Medford, N.Y.).
- After getting an unearned run in the fourth to open a 3-0 lead, the Knights saw Carthage knot the score at 3-3 with three tallies in the top of the seventh inning.
- After going scoreless in the home half of the seventh, the Knights surrendered four runs in the top of the eight to fall behind for the first time on the day, 7-3.
- The Mount erupted in the bottom of the eighth, scoring five times on just two hits.
- Gannon drove in two runs with a single to cut the deficit in half and later scored on a bases loaded walk drawn by Norwood.
- The Mount evened the score on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Grace MacDonald (Concord, N.H.) before Dentato scored the game winning run on a sacrifice fly from Alicia Killeen (Nesconset, N.Y.).
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For The Knights
- Ferara picked up two more hits and scored a run.
- Bendig finished 3-for-4 with a double and run scored.
- Gannon picked up two hits, scored a run and drove in two.
- Dentato collected two more hits and scored three times.
- Norwood drove in a pair of runs.
- MacDonald picked up the win in the circle in her first appearance for the Mount, working 7.2 innings and striking out four. MacDonald allowed three runs on seven hits.
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What's Next
- The Knights are back in action on Monday in Clermont, Fla. with games against Simpson and Fredonia.
