PATCHOGUE, NY. – The Mount Saint Mary College softball team came away with huge victory to advance to Skyline Conference Semifinals.

The Basics

Score: Mount Saint Mary College 8, SJLI 7
Records: Mount Saint Mary College (15-20, 11-7 Skyline) | Maritime (18-17, 10-8)

Rapid Recap

Although they were the home team, the Knights traveled to Patchogue, New York to take on St. Joseph's Long Island in the opening round of the Skyline Conference Championship. All-Conference First Team pitcher Grace MacDonald took the mound for the Knights and had yet another great pitching performance. The Knights struck first in the bottom half of the 2nd inning. Grace Terpening opened up the inning with a walk, then a double by Allie Kenney drove her in. The Mount loaded up the bases thanks to a few mistakes from the Golden Eagles and would take a 2-0 lead. The Knights added another 2 runs in the 3rd after an RBI single from Samantha Stallone and a sacrifice fly from Michaela Manger. MacDonald continued to dominate on the mound and not allow Long Island to score.

The Knights would take a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th after Grace MacDonald knocked in Autumn Strobach who led off the inning with a double. With Mount Saint Mary's offense rolling and the defense holding it down, it seemed like only a matter of time before they came away with the victory. They added another 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th, including an RBI single from Grace Terpening. Out of no where the Golden Eagles began to chip away at the Knights 7-0 lead in the top of the 7th. It slowly became 7-1, then 7-3, then 7-4, then 7-5, then 7-7 after a home run. With 2 runners on, the Mount finally escaped the inning, with a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the 7th. After going 1-2-3, the Knights were back on defense. They say the best pitchers have a short-term memory, and Grace MacDonald showed she has just that, retiring the side with no base runners in the top of the 8th. With 1 out, Chloe Graham doubled to put a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the 8th. Grace MacDonald advanced Graham after an infield single, putting runners on the corners. Grace Terpening would hit a grounder to the third baseman who threw the ball to first, though there was no one covering the bag, allowing Graham to walk right in and score the winning run as the Knight's escaped with an 8-7 victory.

Notes and Numbers

• Grace MacDonald: 8.0 innings pitched, 7 strikeouts, 3 earned runs, 2 for 5, 2 RBIs
• Autumn Strobach: 2 for 5, 1 RBI, 1 double
• Grace Terpening: 1 for 3, 2 RBIs, 2 runs, 2 walks