NEWBURGH, NY – Junior Allison Ford (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville) went 1-3 with a home run, but the Gators fell to Mount Saint Vincent 8-2 in their first game of the Skyline Championship.
The Dolphins got off to an early lead in the top of the first when Rachel Heizer hit a three-run RBI double to center field. Ford responded in the bottom of the first with a lead-off, in-the-park home run to cut Mount Saint Vincent's (21-15) lead down to 3-1.
In the top of the second, Joann Guerra looked like she was going to have an easy, lead-off hit, but Ford made a heads-up play in right field for Sage (25-14) to keep the designated player off the bases.
With bases loaded in the top of the third, Mount Saint Vincent's Danielle Maffei singled through the left side to go up 4-1. They extended their lead to 5-1 when Samantha Broo was hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. Mount Saint Vincent went up 6-1 in the top of the fifth when Deanna Nardi scored on a Broo double down the left field line. The Dolphins continued their 6-0 run when Maffei scored on a wild pitch to put the Dolphins up 7-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Sage added a run when Ford scored on a Katy Rimawi (Ballston Spa, NY/Ballston Spa) double to left field. Mt. St. Vincent responded in the top of the 6th with an RBI from Rianna Laughridge to go up 8-2.
With Jessica Adams (Nassau, NY/Columbia) on second and Kiersten Duncan (Millerton, NY/Taconic Hills) on first in the bottom of the sixth with two outs, it looked as though Ford was going to get an RBI hit, but Broo, Mt. St. Vincent's center fielder, made a heads-up play to keep the Gators from scoring.
Both sides went scoreless over the next 1.5 innings, and the Dolphins won 8-2.
Kathryn Dalton (7-3) was credited with the complete-game win while Sage's Katie Kovage (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central) (9-4) picked up the loss.
The Gators play Farmingdale St. at 1 p.m. tomorrow at Mount Saint Mary. If Sage wins, they go on to play the loser of Mount Saint Vincent and Mount Saint Mary at 4 p.m. The winner of that game, will move on to the finals on Sun., May 1.