Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.—Sophomores
Mikayla Cunningham (Mayville, Mich./Millington) and
Taryn Penna (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) powered the Sarah Lawrence College softball team to a 3-1 victory over Alfred State College in non-conference games at North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex on Tuesday.
IN SHORT
Bay Path (1-2) def. Sarah Lawrence, 8-2.
Sarah Lawrence (1-3) def. Alfred State (0-3), 3-1.
AGAINST BAY PATH
The Gryphons started the day facing Bay Path University. Penna led off the game with a single and advanced on a stolen base and a sacrifice by junior
Sarah Shapiro (Germantown, Md./Northwest). Sophomore
Baylie Petit (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) drove in her classmate with an RBI-hit down the right line to score the game's first run. Rookie
Karissa McAuley (Loudonville, N.Y./Colonie) also notched a hit in the inning.
Sarah Lawrence added another run in the second inning as rookie
Kelsey Copley (West Jefferson, Ohio/West Jefferson) and Cunningham had back-to-back hits to start the inning. Penna hit a single to left field to load the bags, and Petit walked to first base to force a run home.
From there, BPU took control of the contest, taking a 3-2 lead after the second inning. Junior
Kamaron McNair (Lawrence Township, N.J./The Hun School) singled in the fifth inning, as did rookie
Mackenzie Mindish (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional).
Penna finished the game 4-for-4 from the plate, including a double in the sixth inning; she also had two steals in the game. In the circle, McAuley and Cunningham each recorded a pair of strikeouts, while McNair gave up just two hits in three innings of work.
On defense, the Gryphons turned their first double play of the season in the third inning when Copley caught a pop fly at second base and fed the ball to first baseman Cunningham to retire the side.
VICTORY AGAINST ALFRED STATE
For the fourth time in as many games, Penna reached safely on the Gryphons' first plate appearance of the contest. She tripled to left field to start the game and came home on a Shapiro sacrifice fly. Petit doubled in the inning but was stranded on third base.
In the bottom of the first, Alfred strung together a pair of hits and tied the game, 1-1; the deadlock would persist until the seventh inning.
Between the second and sixth innings, nine Gryphons reached base but none made it home to score. Shapiro and McNair each had a hit in the third inning, while the Pioneers' pitching kept Sarah Lawrence in check.
On defense, the Green and White were equally stalwart, allowing just two hits after the first inning. Cunningham retired nine straight batters without letting the ball leave the infield in a streak extending from the second to fifth inning.
With the game in a 1-1 stalemate at the start of the seventh, Penna launched her second triple of the game with a drive down the left line. Shapiro followed with a clutch single to left field to bring home the scoring run. Petit recorded her first successful career sacrifice bunt, and McNair drove home another run with a single through the left side. As the dust settled, the Gryphons went to the bottom of the frame with a 3-1 edge.
In the final sequence of the game, Cunningham dismissed the Pioneers in order to close out the game. The sophomore hurler finished the game with five strikeouts and just four hits in the one-run complete game. Penna finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs; Shapiro went 2-for-3 with a run and two more batted in; and McNair was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
IN THE RECORD BOOK
Penna's two triples matches her own school record—set on Monday—for three-base hits in a game. On the second day of the season, she has tied the program record with four triples in a season, and she controls the career record outright with eight triples.
McNair also tied a team record, accumulating 11 putouts at first base against the Pioneers, becoming the fourth Gryphon to achieve the sum.
UP NEXT
On Wednesday, the Gryphons are set to face Rutgers University-Camden and SUNY Canton on the penultimate day of their roadtrip.
