Box Score 1 SALISBURY, Md. – The No. 9 Salisbury University softball team split a pair of games in the final day of the Sea Gull Classic, hitting three home runs against D'Youville College, 4-0, and falling to Wilkes University, 2-1.
In the first game of the day, Salisbury (10-4) and D'Youville battled back and forth during the first three innings unable to put runs up on the board until junior Lindsay McCabe hit her first home run of the season, taking the lead, 1-0. The Sea Gulls added to their lead, taking advantage of a Spartan throwing error as sophomore Molly Gigioli came home.
The next two runs for the maroon and gold would come off of solo home runs from juniors Michelle Gravdahl, her fourth of the season, and Chelsea Brooks, who received her first hit of the season, driving the ball out to right field.
Senior pitcher Erika Brittingham (7-2) picked up a no-hitter, her second in as many days. The no-hitter looked to be in danger when Megan Rozzi smashed a ball to junior Casey Zaino, but Zaino made the diving snag, keeping a hit from entering the scorebook. Brittingham had 10 strikeouts on the day while walking three.
In the final game of the day, the Sea Gulls took the early lead in the second inning off the bat of junior Hannah Mills, who hit her fourth home run in three days, to give the Gulls a 1-0 lead.
The lead, however, would not hold up as Wilkes put up two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Freshman Rachel Johnson went 5 2/3 on the mound for the Gulls, allowing two runs off of three hits and striking out 10 batters. Sophomore Kathryn Larson came in to relieve Johnson in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs.
Larson struck out pinch hitter Kristen Baker to get Salisbury out of the jam and give the maroon and gold a chance to close the 2-1 gap, however, Wilke's pitcher Laykin Hughes was able to keep Salisbury off balance and unable to bring the tying run across the plate.
Salisbury will now look ahead to Wednesday, March 14, when it takes on Virginia Wesleyan College in a doubleheader at the SU Softball Field. The first pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
