Leesburg, FL— Sage's softball team opened the 2019 season in Florida on their spring training trip. First up for Sage's new head coach Erica Li was a match-up with Alverno College. Alverno improves to 7-2, while Sage drops to 0-1. The Gators returned to the field later on Friday and took on the College of St. Elizabeth, but fell 10-1 in five innings. Sage drops to 0-2 on the young season.
Sage is back in action on Saturday facing Husson University at 1:30 p.m. and the University of Scranton at 6 p.m.
Against Alverno, Sage fell in an extra-inning battle, 12-11 in eight innings, but not before they combined for 19 hits and used a huge sixth inning to overcome a 9-2 deficit and tie the action at 9-9 as they headed to the bottom half of the sixth.
Senior outfielder Lindsey Decker (Ballston Lake, NY/Shenendehowa) fueled the comeback effort with a three RBI home run in the top of the sixth. The Alverno Inferno answered back with a single run in the bottom of the sixth to take a 10-9 lead. The Gators tied it up in the top of the seventh with an unearned run from junior Destiny Wierzbicki (Albany, NY/Troy) to knot play at 10-10. Rookie Alex Henniger (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa) had an RBI single to score Decker and give Sage an 11-10 lead headed to the bottom of the seventh.
Alverno answered back with a single run sending the game to extra-innings, where Alverno had the game-winner in the bottom half of the inning to collect the 12-11 victory.
Decker was 4-6 at the plate with four RBI, a home run and scored a pair of runs. Junior Amanda Kiriakos (Yonkers, NY/Saunders Trade & Technical) was also 4 for 6 at the plate with an RBI and a double.
Sophomore Emily Agate (Franklin Square, NY/H. Frank Carey) picked up a pair of doubles for Sage, while senior Kiersten Duncan (Millerton, NY/Taconic Hills) added her 34th career double making her tied for the No. 7 spot with former Gator, Meghan Welcome (34).
In the circle for Sage, junior pitcher Alicia Swavely (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) worked four innings with four earned runs off 9 hits with 2 strikeouts and 3 walks in the no decision. Rookie pitcher Taylor Dicranian (Bennington, VT/Mt. Anthony Union) took the loss after 3.1 innings of work with 2 earned runs off 8 hits with a walk.
In the night cap, CSE jumped out to a 7-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first inning and pushed five more runs across the plate in the bottom of the second.
Sage added their lone run with an RBI double from Duncan in the top of the third inning. Duncan collected another double on the day, giving her 35 career doubles moving her into the No. 6 spot on the list ahead of Welcome.
Rookie Ashlee Billert (Bennington, VT/Mount Anthony Union) was 2-2 at the plate as the Gators were held to seven hits in the game.
Sophomore pitcher Katerina Lagace (Newington, CT/Newington) took the loss after three innings of work with 8 earned runs and fanned 1 batter in her performance. CSE's Laura Costello picked up the complete game win after scattering seven hits with 1 earned run and struck out 4 en route to earning her second win of the year as she is now 2-1.
Rookie catcher Karyn Shimazu went 2-3 with a run scored and 5 RBI's after she belted a three run homer in the fourth to break open the game.
